Partners
by ShadowMeowth
Summary: "The world, doomed to end in thirteen days, was saved by their teamwork. Now, everyone's starting a new life, but it'll be harder for Lightning and Hope to do so. They agree to start a personal quest in order to find out their new life, while they explore the true meaning of the word 'soulmate'." Post-Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
1. Path

_**Partners**_

* * *

**I. Path**

* * *

It had been a long time for that moment finally arrived. Months, years, centuries… during which the world had almost disappeared and shatter all dreams and hopes.

But, against all odds, it had arrived. Challenging fate, time and death itself, in a world that had just come back from a long illness caused by the Chaos of Valhalla.

The long-awaited wedding of Serah and Snow.

It was a beautiful though simple ceremony. There were not so many intact resources in the world and everything would take a long time to return the way it once was. Not to mention they had come back to the year 500AF, after Cocoon's crystal pillar collapsed, and Bhunivelze no longer hung in the sky over Gran Pulse.

Fortunately, New Bodhum still was in one piece, and though it had grown since its construction, as they expected, it was still a small coastal village, calm and peaceful. The old NORA house was still there, and despite all the years that had passes, the couple would go back to their home.

Not many people attended the wedding, only the closest to the couple. Snow, dressed in a suit that ironically didn't suit him, had arrived first and stood before the altar, disposed under a tent on the beach under a bright sun, with his best man, Sazh, who had volunteered to be so after Hope's refusal, since, according to his words, Snow would need someone with some experience in weddings so everything could go off without a hitch, and Sazh had been a married man time ago. Snow would've preferred some of his old friends from NORA to be his best man, but they died centuries ago. After all, it was a post-apocalyptic 500AF.

So Sazh was at ringside in a suit and bow tie with his son Dajh and the chocobo chick Chocolina flitting gaily around the eager, excited Snow. Just a little further was Lightning, as Serah's maid of honor, waiting for her sister to show up with Hope seating at her side, accompanying her on that day so important for her and Serah.

Serah finally appeared, and the wait was worth it simply because of the sight of her. Her wedding dress was of the purest white, simple but decorated in a way it seemed her thin body was covered in feathers. Just like an angel down from the heavens, and might it have to do with the fact she actually returned victorious from her adventure in the uncertain land of death. Since Lightning and Serah didn't have a father who could bring them to an altar, the one who was guiding Serah arm in arm to her future husband was Noel, the young hunter, who had agreed to do so at the request of Serah and Snow himself. He had been quite reluctant at first to attend the wedding, but now he looked happy and smiley, though slightly melancholic.

Once she reached Snow, the ceremony began. The couple made their vows, Lightning and Sazh handed them the rings they exchanged after promising eternal love and allegiance, and then the priest who presided the wedding pleaded to Mother Goddess Mwynn to bless the imperishable bond that existed between Serah and Snow, and he declared them husband and wife. The newlyweds kissed backed up by enthusiastic applause and congratulations.

Lightning cheered excitedly, too. But in her blue eyes was a spark of sadness.

Then came the feast, the ball, the celebration… Serah and Snow's joy was contagious and filled the air with happiness and delight, so all the guests participated in the couple's rejoicing.

All but Lightning.

The young former soldier had discreetly withdrawn shortly after Serah and Snow's first dance. She had a long walk on the beach of New Bodhum and, at sunset, she had ended up at the old pier and stayed there, alone, lost in her thoughts and an afflicted twinkle in her eyes.

She had devoted her life to Serah, to protect her sister over her life. She was all that she had, her only pillar of support. And now she no longer needed her protection, as Snow would ensure that nothing will happen to her. Lightning knew that, no matter how hot-headed he was, his devotion to her sister was blind and wholehearted.

On one hand, it soothed and made her happy. But on the other one, being aware that Serah no longer needed her was killing her from the inside.

She knew she was being selfish, that she should have known that someday Serah would leave Lightning's mantle of protection and safety and begin to live her own life. But she couldn't help it. Serah was everything to her.

What would be her path from now on? She felt completely lost in life.

"Hey, Light", a voice said suddenly beside her; Lightning turned, startled, to see Hope there, staring at her with a gentle smile. "It took quite a while to find you."

"I didn't want to be found", she smiled unwillingly. "That wireless device you gave me was sometimes such a snitch."

Hope looked at her in concern. Lightning cursed to herself; he knew her too well to ignore the sadness she was unsuccessfully trying to hide.

"How you're doing?", the young man asked after a minute; Lightning couldn't help but surprise, once again, at noting how well her friend had come to know her. He hadn't needed to ask "what's wrong" nor "are you okay": Hope _knew_ what was wrong and that she wasn't okay.

She halfheartedly shrugged.

"I'll survive, I guess. I simply have to get used to the idea the mission of my life has come to an end."

"But it's easier to say than to do", Hope replied gravely. "Isn't it?"

She sighed sorrowfully. He had a point, such a good point.

"Yeah", she whispered, closing her eyes to the sunset light. "It is."

She felt her hands slightly shaking. She crossed her arms, trying to hide it, not wanting to look like an idiot, let alone in front of Hope. Her own pride, and she had a lot of that, prevented her from it.

But she underestimated her friend once more. Hope came closer to her and gently embraced her with the warmth of sincere and genuine friendship. Lightning didn't struggle, and laid her head on his shoulder. His proximity chased away the horrible cold that had lodged in her heart at the prospect of losing her only sister. It was the same feeling she had when, after reuniting with him, she cried bitterly Serah's death and Hope tried to comfort her with one of his deep, sincere hugs.

Few things could comfort her when she faced Serah's loss. An embrace from Hope was one of them. The embrace from her best friend.

"You know Serah will be happy", Hope said in her ear. "Maybe Snow always does what he wants and he can't tell the difference between a behemoth and an adamanchelid, but he'll do everything in his hand and more than that to make Serah happy. I understand you're worried, but Serah can take care of herself, too. And now she won't die for being a Seeress."

"I know that, Hope. I don't need you to tell me that. I know Serah will be happy with Snow… I'm suffering for myself", Lightning replied after hesitating for a moment. She felt Hope's body momentarily tightening.

"What? Why?", her friend's light-green eyes twinkled in confusion.

She didn't want to get to explain her doubts and uncertainties, but she knew she wouldn't confess them to anyone but Hope. Not even to Serah.

"If it's not up to me to protect Serah anymore… tell me, what else do I have left? I've toppled the fal'Cie rule, I have been Etro's Champion, I fought against the Guardian of Time, I was chosen as the Liberator of Souls and managed to save the world from utter destruction in only thirteen days. And for what?", Lightning trembled. "I don't know what to do with my life, Hope. I feel… lost. With no path to follow, nor a goal to achieve."

Hope squinted. He perfectly understood his friend, as he felt that way so many times, when despair overcame him.

"You could live", he simply replied. She unwillingly chuckled.

"Just like that? Without nothing to fight for? I wouldn't be sustained by such an empty focus."

"Staying alive despite all miseries is no small thing…", Hope objected giving her a bittersweet half-smile. "Personal experience."

"You've stayed in this world. You have remained as a mortal being throughout all these centuries. But, what about me? I was made a divine warrior and now I have no battles to fight. I have nowhere to go", Lightning's voice was tinged with anguish. Hope greatly ached by seeing her like that. That was supposed to be a happy day for the Farron sisters, not the beginning of a life crisis for the older one.

"You don't have anywhere to go?", the young Director of the Academy repeated. "I'm sure Serah and Snow will happily let you stay at their home, Light. She's your sister, and the fact she's now married doesn't mean she'd left you behind."

Lightning shook her head.

"I can't do that. Serah and Snow need their own space and privacy, and I won't ever be a kept woman. Besides, they've already decided to let Noel stay with them. No doubt Noel feels even more lost in this world than me, after all that he's gone through."

Hope didn't know what to answer. He felt Lightning's pain with wounding intensity. In a sense, it was a cruelty to have brought her back to a world that had forgotten her for centuries. He had spent thirteen whole days talking with her almost continuously, learning something new about his friend every day, but moments like this showed that he had much yet to learn about Lightning Farron. Her insecurity was one of these things.

"_You can't even imagine how much I hate to see you suffering"_, the young man thought gently tightening his embrace, feeling completely useless. _"I wish I could do something more for you…"_

And then he had an idea. So bold and daring that he was tempted to dismiss it as soon as it came to his mind, but something inside kept him from doing so.

It might work. Absurd as it seemed, it might work.

The only problem was to gather enough courage to tell Lightning.

"Err… Light?", Hope began, cursing to himself the betrayal of his nervousness, that made him stammer just like the fourteen-year-old kid he once was did; she raised her head and pulled away a bit from him. "If... if you have nowhere to go… and you have no plans… Can I make you… a proposal?"

Lightning raised a brow.

"A proposal? What kind of proposal?"

Hope took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He hated being so shy and inarticulate in those matters. And it kept happening to him when Lightning was around.

"You could… you could come to Academia with me."

Lightning's surprise was reflected in her still-watery eyes, which suddenly widened.

"What?"

"I mean…", Hope guessed his friend had misunderstood him. Actually, she hadn't misunderstood him, but that was what he wanted to avoid. "There is where the Guardian Corps have more activity… Lots of things to do, not so many recruits… You told me the other day you'd like to rejoin them… I don't have any problem if you want to stay some time at my house… until you find one of your own there, of course", the young man said hurriedly, blushing up to his ears. "But if you don't want to… I get it, it's okay—"

"Wait", Lightning cut him, still stunned. "You're proposing me to live with you? At your house?"

"Just temporarily", Hope was quick to mark, aware of what his words could else mean. "Until you can afford one for you."

Lightning bit her lower lip, hesitant. The proposal had caught her completely off guard. She knew Hope wasn't the kind of people who would take advantage of her because she wasn't having her best time, and she trusted him wholeheartedly too. But she'd never have expected something like that coming from him.

"Listen, Hope…", the young woman said looking away. "If you're saying this because you pity me or whatever… it's not necessary. I don't want to bother you."

"Not at all", he instantly replied, shaking his head. "I told you I wasn't gonna leave you in the street if I can help, remember? I'm offering this to you because… well, we're friends, aren't we? And friends are there for the other one no matter what. I thought that, just maybe… I don't know, I might try to help you."

There was silence. The reddish light of the setting sun reflected on the sea.

Then, bit by bit, a genuine smile crossed Lightning's lips.

"I could never repay you all the help you've given to me so far, Hope", the young woman noted, and poked her forefinger in Hope's forehead, like she did during their time as l'Cie. "But, anyway, I'll take your help again. I accept your proposal, Director."

Hope blinked in disbelief at what he had just heard.

"You mean it?"

"When do I not mean what I say?"

Her friend's face, framed by those shining strands of silver hair, lit up like a star when his lips parted in the most sincere smile Lightning had ever seen. Unable to restrain himself, he hugged the young woman tightly, softly laughing in pure joy.

"Hey, hey, don't go overboard", she laughed in turn, trying to get unsuccessfully serious. "This is only temporary, isn't that what you said?"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, I just…", Hope pulled away still smiling like a child. "I've been alone for so long that the idea of having someone by my side, even if it's just for a while…", he shook his head. "It's hard to picture that."

"There's two of us", Lightning joked. "Well then… When are you planning to return to Academia?"

He thought about it for a little, his eyes fixed on the sunset.

"This very night. There's plenty to do there, you know… Get the Academy back and running, organize resources, food… Taking care of refugees… I'm the Director", he turned to Lightning almost apologizing. "I can't shirk my responsibilities, let alone now that we no longer have the New Cocoon."

"Right", she nodded; she knew what it meant a position of power. "Okay, we'll go when you consider."

"Tonight?", Hope raised his eyebrows. "I thought you might want to stay at least a couple of days with Serah… Not even a week has passed since you meet again."

"Don't think it doesn't sound good for me, but… she and Snow need privacy now that they're married. Specially tonight", Lightning added with an almost mischievous grin.

"Oh. Of course", Hope said amusedly. "I forgot about that. Alright, in that case, we will leave not so late. They'll have enough worrying about where they're gonna leave Noel this night."

Lightning laughed, her laughter clear and crystalline mingled with the sound of the waves. Hope wished he would never stop hearing it, and he promised himself he would do his best to make her happy as long as they were together.

"I'll tell Serah later. Now let them enjoy the party", the young woman decided looking at the wedding tent, where her sister and Snow were dancing together, surrounded by guests. She felt distant from that celebration and the whole world too, as she had felt during her journey in Nova Chrysalia to save the world, but both times she had Hope by her side. "It's funny, isn't it?"

"What's funny?", Hope asked gently.

"Today Serah starts walking a new path in her life… and I do, too. But Serah's smarter than me, isn't she? I need someone to show it to me when I'm facing it."

Hope tilted his head and laughed softly. The last sunrays lit up their figures, standing side by side, enjoying the sunset in the company of a friend that was so close that they'd trust the other one with their own lives without hesitation.

"Well", the young Director of the Academy remarked after a while. "That's because she's Serah and you're Lightning."

"_And you can't even imagine how happy it makes me to be the one who shows your path to you, Light."_


	2. Academia

_**Partners**_

* * *

**II. Academia**

* * *

The trip from New Bodhum to Academia, the most important of all the cities around the former site of Cocoon's crystal pillar, wasn't supposed to take an excessive amount of time, but even so it took a few hours to reach the capital travelling in that decrepit airship. Of course, Nova Chrysalia's technology was far from what the Academy had come to make up on its golden age.

Because of this, when the metropolis finally appeared on the horizon, the sky had begun to show the pink colors of dawn. Hope watched sleepily the landscape through the small window; at his side, Lightning had fallen asleep almost since they left, and her head had found a foothold on her friend's shoulder.

"Director", the pilot said from the front seat; Hope looked up blinking, trying to snap out of his daze. "We're reaching Academia. Where should I land?"

"Try on the closest landing spot to the Academy's headquarters", Hope said, smiling helplessly at the thought of returning to his old home. "If it's still in one piece."

The pilot nodded, and he accelerated and directed the airship towards Academia. While they flew over the city, Hope silently assessed the damage he could see; it seemed the city was reasonably intact, although the years it had been abandoned had taken their toll.

Hope sighed resignedly. There was a lot to do only in Academia, and it'd be hard to recover all that had been lost. He counted on it, though.

It turned out that the closest landing spot to the Academy's headquarters had collapsed; it had been supported by steel pillars that required constant maintenance. The pilot was forced to land in a square a bit far away from the building presiding over the city.

Once the airship perched on the pearly, paved floor that was a trademark of Academia, Hope carefully straightened in his seat, feeling his muscles numb after all those hours sitting in such an uncomfortable trashy, flying vehicle and trying to move as less as possible to not wake up the exhausted Lightning.

"Light", he told his friend softly, gently shaking her. "Naptime is over. Here we are."

"Mmph…", she growled sleepily; she pulled away from him and rubbed her eyes with the back of her gloved hand. Her eyes looked a bit dazed and blurred with sleep.

"Are you okay?", Hope was looking worried at her. "You aren't airsick, are you?"

"Of course not…", Lightning replied, her voice a little hoarse. "I'm just a bit tired. But I'll be okay in no time."

Although Hope wasn't so sure, he nodded without arguing. He knew Lightning hated her inner strength to be questioned.

He held out his hand to help her up, but she refused it and made it by herself. Her steps were a little tottering, so Hope remained close to his friend just in case she lost her balance.

After getting off the airship, the pilot, who had left his seat to check the engines, approached to them.

"Everything's okay, Director. The airship hasn't taken any damage."

That airship was quite rusty and one of the few that had survived Nova Chrysalia's drastic transformation back into the old Gran Pulse. Hope had no choice but use it, and he had feared that the trip could be too much for that ancient screws-bag.

"That's good to hear… In that case, track the area", Hope decided. "Maybe you can find more survivors. When you return here, check the airship and make sure you leave it in an acceptable condition."

"As you say, Director", the pilot made the respectful gesture the most important Academy scientists received from the military; thereupon he gave Lightning a polite nod. "Miss…", and he went back inside the airship.

Lightning frowned. She had been a sergeant within the Guardian Corps and she wasn't used to be addressed as 'Miss'. And she wasn't sure she liked it or not.

"Shall we?", Hope asked smiling, picking up his travel bag and Lightning's.

"Yeah, but… can you carry those bags by yourself? I can carry mine."

"Don't worry, I'll do it", Lightning wanted to reply, but he spoke first. "I know you can, but it's your first time in Academia. You can ask and curious about as much as you want, I know the city too well."

Lightning didn't quite agree, but she had to acknowledge her friend's nod. Although it seemed difficult to believe, she was a heavy sleeper, specially when she had fatigue accumulated, and she'd still have to wait until her mind was completely unwind.

They walked without haste along Academia's avenues toward the headquarters, bathed by the light of dawn. Lightning's ice-blue eyes studied the city with a spark of fascination that made Hope remember the first time he had a glimpse of Academia, long time ago. He was used to people's amazement at the sight of the immense metropolis he planned centuries ago, but it was Lightning's admiration what made the Director of the Academy feel particularly pleased.

"Do you like it?", he asked her as they walked by one of the most beautiful parks in the city. It was kind of dirty and full of weeds, but still holding a bit of its beauty of old.

"Yes", Lightning smiled. "I think I'm looking like a parish-pump here. You know I grew up in Bodhum."

"Bodhum was a city, and quite popular at holidays if I remember correctly. When I was there, you could hardly break through the crowd depending on the street."

"But it was just a shameful village compared to Eden or even Palumpolum. You're such a city-dweller and you don't care about this stuff, but I do. Remember how I reacted the first time I visited Luxerion…"

Hope laughed helplessly.

"So now I'm a 'city-dweller'?", he replied, amused. "I won't deny I've spent more than a half of my life in large cities, but you have to admit I didn't do that bad when we had to hunt in places like the Archylte Steppe."

"Right, and you also were even more rational and calm than Sazh when we were being chased by a behemoth king. And you ride chocobos better than him."

So, while recalling their adventures in Gran Pulse telling jokes and stories, they soon left behind the streets of stairs and arrived to a wide avenue lined with something that looked like static, immobile ramps, as quiet as the city in which they were.

Hope sighed and scratched his head.

"This is the Academy's Avenue, or Grand Avenue for short", he told Lightning. "It was much more impressive before, when we had the electric power-up at full capacity."

"Do you mean there's no electricity?", Lightning's eyes widened. No wonder the city looked so abandoned and dull.

"Not at the moment. But I hope that soon we can set it up", Hope smiled and pointed to his right when they stepped on the Grand Avenue. "You can do a lot of things from there."

Lightning looked in the direction her friend told her, and she couldn't disguise the surprised gasp that escaped from her lips at the sight of the impressive building, flanked by two spires, which stood at the end of the main street. It seemed to protect the whole city of Academia just by standing there.

"Are those… the Academy's headquarters?", she inquired, utterly amazed. "It's… incredible. How did you manage to build something like that?"

"Mainly patience and teamwork", Hope shrugged while he gestured to his friend to continue walking. "Anyway, I don't know how to answer you for sure. Academia was built while I was asleep in the time capsule."

She chuckled as she followed the young Director of the Academy along the Grand Avenue.

"That time capsule of yours was quite funny for me. You were the only one not blessed by Etro's gift of using time gates, and yet you devised a personal way to time travel without aging a bit. Sometimes I think you enjoy taunting the gods, Hope."

"It was you who taught me to decide my own fate, didn't you?", Hope replied raising a brow. "I hope that doesn't mean you're mad at me now by 'taunting' the Goddess, oh Etro's Champion…"

It was the mocking tone of his friend's voice what made Lightning burst laughing. She knew Hope had a subtle sense of humor, but he had never brought it out with her so far.

Besides, there was something that comforted her in the highest degree: Hope treated her with respect, yeah, but he had always been that way. It wasn't the immeasurable respect and distance that she had noted in her old friends, even in her own sister Serah. Perhaps it had to do with the fact Hope hadn't come to see her in her divine splendor as the Goddess of Death's protector, but he was the only one who was still the same whenever he talked with her.

Lightning felt lucky to have a friend like him. Not everyone could say the same, let alone after the unbearable weight both had to endure.

"Where do you live?", she asked when she could stop laughing. "In the headquarters?"

"No, but I considered it when I got here. I spent my time in Academia in an apartment quite close, in this street. We're not so far from there; I've only to remember which number was…"

Hope walked along the avenue toward the Academy's headquarters showing a focused expression in his face, as he always did when he tried to remember something. Lightning followed him quietly for not bothering him, and so she could look closely that gorgeous street. Besides, if she was going to rejoin the Guardian Corps, she must know perfectly the layout of the streets.

So absorbed she was trying to memorize the signs she was reading that she almost toppled with Hope when he suddenly stopped in front of a building about two hundred meters away from the Academy's headquarters.

"Here it is, no doubt about it", Hope smiled after checking it closely. "Let's see if I still remember the password…"

Lightning waited as he came closer to the door, touched with a gloved finger a slot that spark off a fleeting blue flash, and typed something in a small panel that was hanging in the wall, next to the door. For her surprise, the door gave off a faint light and it opened.

"How did you do that?", the young woman inquired following him into the building when he beckoned her. "Didn't you say there wasn't electricity running the city?"

"And there's not. But we can supply it temporarily, if necessary", Hope sharpened his smile and snapped his fingers, causing a spark of electricity in the gloom. "It was an idea of mine, you know. I thought that, just in case the electric system failed, we mages could use our lightning-based spells to make it run until it was fixed."

"Nice…", a surprised Lightning said, and then she smiled too. "Good thing I'm a mage too. I won't have to rely on you if the system goes down."

"Yeah, but keep in mind a Thunder spell of yours isn't the same as one of mine", he warned her sneeringly. "I may be a kind of powerful mage, but I'm far from being as powerful as a divine warrior. If you ever have to activate this system, be extremely careful about the amount of energy you use; otherwise, you could cause a pretty dangerous overload."

She looked at her hands, annoyed. She had returned to her world, yes, but she hadn't lost her divine powers. And she had that nasty feeling that they were going to cause her more than one headache. She would have to be very wary for not ruining the entire electric system of Academia.

The elevator stopped, revealing a hallway of white walls and a floor covered by a blue carpet when the doors opened. It wasn't particularly fancy, not even wide. Was it there where Hope lived? It looked quite dull for being the residence of the revered Director of the Academy, or so thought Lightning.

Hope walked to the furthest and most isolated door in the corridor, dimly lit by blue neon tubes; once he was in front of it, he typed again the numeric code in the electronic panel and he sighed relieved when a green light appeared over the threshold.

"Thank goodness. I feared it wouldn't recognize the password after all these years", the young man explained to Lightning turning the doorknob and opening it slowly; he took a step backwards, almost shyly. "After you, Light."

Lightning hesitated for a second. Something told her to step into Hope's house was a synonym for stepping into a new life completely different from before. She had thought that when her friend had proposed her to spend some time at his house until she found her own home in the capital, but there she was and she wouldn't ever imagined it could be so difficult for her to advance one foot to cross a threshold.

After all that had happened, was she ready to take that step?

She instinctively glanced uncertainly at Hope, who stood silently by the opened door. He gave her a reassuring, sympathetic look, but in his light-colored eyes there was a spark of nervousness. She realized her friend felt the same as her: he had spent so many years completely alone in a world that hadn't returned to him all the efforts he had dedicated to make things better, and now that it was an opportunity to move on he wasn't sure about it yet.

However, the soft half-smile in his lips clearly stated that he would be by her side unconditionally in that small step that both were starting on their life in Academia, in a new path they had decided to start walking together. How that path would turn out was still unknown, but they were a team and they had proved that they were capable of defy the very fate despite all challenges.

In that moment, Lightning knew she could count on her friend no matter what happened or not, and that's what made her make her final choice.

Having the guidance of Hope made her feel safe.

"Right", Lightning took a deep breath and smiled a bit nervously but sincerely too. So, mustering a sense of courage that had nothing to do with the courage she had before engaging in battle, the young former soldier crossed the threshold between her past and an uncertain, unknown but promising future.

_"Just as it happened in Nova Chrysalia"_, she recalled.

While getting into the gloom still shrouding Hope's apartment, Lightning couldn't help but associate that first contact with the chaotic world of Nova Chrysalia, her uncertainty, her warning and that shred of fear facing the unknowable fate waiting for her. It was almost like waking up from a long crystal stasis and exploring the new world that appeared before the l'Cie who got blessed, or cursed, by the gift of eternity.

"_But I wasn't alone that time. I trust that Hope will guide me again throughout my new journey in Academia."_


	3. Home

_**Partners**_

* * *

**III. Home**

* * *

Despite all those years, decades, he spent in his house in Nova Chrysalia, Hope had never thought about it as his home. It had been a long time since the last time the Director of the Academy felt rooted to a single place, since the moment when, at age fourteen, the fal'Cie and the Purge snatched away everything from him. After Cocoon's fall, even though having lived a few years with his father, everything changed when he joined the Academy, because from that moment onwards his live was a constant going to and fro within expeditions in Gran Pulse, the different colleges and, after Serah and Noel showed up without prior notice in the Yaschas Massif, all the subsequent time travels that they had brought with them.

Hope was shy and quiet; he never opened before the doors of his personal space to anyone at the first opportunity. So, although he didn't feel his apartment of Academia as his home, it wasn't easy for him to let Lightning in. It was an honor for the young man, of course, but on the other hand he had never shared his life with someone else than his parents. Even if that situation would last just for a short time.

He followed Lightning into the apartment in shadows. She looked around puzzled, undoubtedly trying to examine the dark room; there was only a shred of light coming from an aperture a little further.

"May I?", Hope asked; she stepped aside to let him pass. Groping to not tripping over a potential obstacle, he approached to the dim light-ray and drew the curtains he knew they were covering a wide window, illuminating the apartment so suddenly that Lightning had to cover her eyes. "That's a bit better."

When her eyes didn't hurt anymore because of the light, the young former soldier could finally get a first glimpse of Hope's apartment. The walls were white, plain, in contrast to the marbled, chocolate-colored wooden floor. It appeared that it consisted only of a room, since the living room and the kitchen were separated by a wide doorway, but soon she found a sliding door a couple of feet away. There was a small cream-colored sofa and two couches around a round, coffee table, a flat-screen TV, a lot of shelves filled by books and files, a desk with a computer on it and something that looked like a stereo in the ground. From where she was she couldn't clearly see the kitchen, but she was sure it wasn't very big. Overall it would have looked a lot more cozy if there weren't so many books and paper sheets scattered around the table, the sofa and the floor and that thick layer of dust covering everything.

Lightning tsked.

"A bit better, you say? I'd prefer to be still in shadows."

"I know it's not very tidy", Hope apologized, embarrassed. "But remember it's been almost five hundred years since the last time I was here."

"Don't worry about that. What we have to discuss is what you think 'order' means; I've already been in two of your houses and in both of them it seemed to a hurricane had passed over them."

Hope looked ashamedly to all the files and books piled up everywhere.

"Yeah, well… My schedule as Director didn't allow me to keep the order so much… Besides, I lived alone and I didn't care that much about it."

"As long as I'm here you'll have to keep an eye about how tidy your apartment is", Lightning scolded him, but she smiled. "I want to forget about every kind of chaos for the rest of my life."

He shyly smiled back.

"I'll fix it as soon as possible; I'm not the paradigm of organization, I know, but if I have to…", with the travel bags in hand, he went to the sliding door and opened it with his foot. "For now it's more important to make this place look like a habitable house again, and then we'll discuss that."

Lightning followed him. She found that the door was Hope's bedroom entrance; it was small, with a bedside table with a green lamp and a glass with a dry and withered flower in it next to the medium-sized bed covered by black and white patchwork sheets, a dark wood dresser, some bookshelves and a window with thin white curtains and another sliding door in front of the entry threshold.

With a weary sigh, Hope left he bags on the bed, sat on it and looked around the room, as dusty as the living room. This wasn't how he would have liked Lightning to see his apartment; he wanted her to feel comfortable, not surrounded by dirt and disorder. That, from his point of view, didn't make her justice.

"I'm sorry it's this run down, really. If I had known, I'd have cleaned thoroughly before proposing you to come here."

"You couldn't possibly know", Lightning noted. "So stop torturing yourself already. Didn't you say there was a lot to do in Academia?, then cleaning your apartment is one of them. One thing at a time."

"You're right", Hope admitted after a pause, and looked up at her. "Leaving aside all the dirt… what do you think?"

Lightning thought about the answer.

"It's small", she answered then, and when she noticed the disappointed look of his friend, she added. "Not a bad thing. But I find kind of weird you lived in such a small apartment. You come from a high-class family and you're also the Director of the Academy; I assumed you'd have a house more… impressive."

The young man chuckled, surprising Lightning, who had expected a less cheerful reaction on his part.

"Keep in mind it was a temporary residence. And I've been living alone for centuries, so big houses feel… extremely void to me. I felt much more comfortable in an apartment like this. Being the 'Director of the Academy' has nothing to do with it; I'm just an advisor, the Academy has more directors in higher ranks than mine and I didn't take them off when I arrived here."

"Not officially. But it is you in who people trust and believe, Hope, and that's what makes you a leader, not the title you bear."

"If you say so…", Hope looked away with an awkward smile on his lips.

She was about to answer, but then a shrill beep startled them. At the same time, something started to vibrate in Hope's gray pants' pocket.

"Excuse me…", he muttered pulling the phone out of his pocket; he glanced at the number shining on its surface and frowned before opening it and answering. "Director Hope Estheim of Academy Research's Team Alpha. What is it?"

Lightning waited in silence while her friend attended the call; meanwhile she studied the room with interest. She couldn't guess the topic of the conversations since Hope seemed to be just listening to his speaker without interrupting him, but by the look on his face, which was gradually darkening, she assumed they couldn't be very good news.

"I see… Yes, I think I can fix it today, with some time", Hope said after a couple of minutes. "Well, okay. I'm going there now." He hung up and laid a hand on his forehead sighing in resignation.

"Bad news?", Lightning asked concerned.

"Someone has been tinkering in the Academy's datanet and has blocked access to the other files", he said as he got up, his brow furrowed with annoyance. "Nothing that cannot be fixed, but that means I'm going to spend hours struggling with the computer and files protection protocols. And I've said countless times anyone not familiar with the Academy's programs should ever touch the datanet…"

"Then, you're going."

"Yes", Hope said, not so enthusiastic. "But I'll come back at night. I feel terribly bad to have to leave you here all day, but—"

"Don't mention it. You're the Director and you have to lead by example", Lightning patted on her friend's back to cheer him up. "Didn't I teach you to live up to the circumstances?"

Hope smiled sheepishly, but he didn't answer the question.

"Rest and relax as much as you want", the young man took a paper and a pencil from his pocket, quickly wrote something in it and handed it to her. "Here's my phone number; call me if you need anything. This is the access code to the apartment, just in case you want to go out for a walk. Oh, and there's some food in my bag; I'll bring more when I return. And you have the bathroom right there", he said pointing to the sliding door on his right. "I have to go, otherwise the headquarters will end up as a total mess."

"Right", Lightning said reading over the paper, and gave him a smile to lighten his mood. "Have a good day, Hope, as far as it goes."

"You too, Light", he replied, who was already leaving the room, saying goodbye to her with a quick wave of his hand. "Until night-time."

When she heard the front door close, Lightning scratched her head and sat on the dusty bed, not sure about what to do. She was counting on that Hope would stay and show her his apartment, no matter how dirty it was, and so she could begin to consider it her apartment for a while. Obviously, she knew that, as the Director, he couldn't ignore emergencies like that, and the young woman understood that probably it would be a relatively frequent situation. It had to be exhausting for him. No wonder his house was so messy. Although Lightning had seen fragments of his life at the Academy from Valhalla, she hadn't paid too much attention, as her eyes were always pinned on Serah. Now she could understand a bit more her former comrades.

She wondered if she could do something to help him. And then she thought of something that could work and so, somehow, she could return him the favor Hope made her by letting her stay at his house. She knew he would do anything to prevent her from it, having told her to rest, but she was alone and he couldn't stop her.

Lightning smiled, stretched like a cat and rose decisively. She certainly would have enjoyed a break, but she wasn't used to rest when there were things to be done.

* * *

The sun had set some time ago when Hope finally came out of the Academy's headquarters with a cloth bag slung across his back which contained the food he could get, exhausted after spending endless hours on the main network's computer of the institute trying to solve the mess one of the scientists had caused when he tried to access the datanet in order to start fixing the systems of Academia before the Director's arrival. Hope wasn't going to blame him, as his intentions were good, but the fatigue he was suffering wasn't a small thing.

It was cold in the street. Hope put his gloved hands in his pockets to protect them from the autumn air, and when he did, his fingers brushed the phone he always carried with him. He frowned uneasily, having spent the day with no news from Lightning. He supposed she was asleep, which was completely logical, but still he couldn't help wondering if she would be okay.

He shook his head, pushing the idea away from his mind. She _would_ be okay; it was Lightning who he was talking about, after all. Of course she could manage things right in Academia.

He reached the building where his apartment was after a short walk, and as the elevator went up he pondered how to arrange his house as soon as possible to make Lightning's stay more pleasant for her. And his, of course, but at that moment he felt responsible for his friend.

It was ironic, he thought as he arrived to the front door and introduced the code, because when they first met it was her who had protected him. Although Lightning wasn't the person who most needed protection, that was for sure…

He was still lost in thought as he entered the apartment and turned on the lights. It was a dim, soft light which helped him to stay calm and focused amidst his work and loneliness. But the whitish light was enough to reveal that, all of a sudden, all the dust and dirt he had seen that morning was gone.

Hope froze, looking around as if it was the first time he saw a tidy house. He stepped forward cautiously with his eyes wide open. He took a quick look at the kitchen and discovered that even the cookware was thoroughly washed. The books and files of the living room still laid on the floor, but they were stacked neatly in a corning; it had nothing to do with, as his father used to say while he was still studying at the Academy, the vortex of entropy that followed him wherever he went.

It was then when, as he came closer to the living room, he found Lightning lying on the sofa, apparently fast asleep. Everything made sense, and Hope sighed as resigned as grateful.

He left the bag with food on the couch beside him, crouched beside the sofa and watched her in silence with a gentle half smile on his lips. Lightning's face showed the fatigue that undoubtedly had caused her cleaning the whole apartment. She looked unusually fragile and delicate while asleep, so different to her usual aura of strength and determination.

After a minute, Hope gently touched his friend's shoulder to wake her up.

"Light…"

She huffed, and her eyelids trembled before her icy-blue eyes appeared behind them. She turned her head to him and slightly frowned.

"Hey, Hope…", she murmured, and yawned. "How was it your day?"

"Nothing too interesting", the young man shrugged, and gave Lightning a serious look. "You didn't have to do this, Light."

"Perhaps", said his friend, sitting up. "But I hadn't anything better to do. And since you're doing me a great favor by letting me stay here, it's fair I return it somehow."

Hope tilted his head. He didn't know whether to feel exasperated or not, but he know how much it meant Lightning's favor to him.

"I didn't do it with the condition of returning me the favor, but—"

"It's fair", Lightning repeated. She sat on the sofa and looked at him almost mockingly. "Besides, when Serah and I lived together, I was the one who did the housework. It's a nuisance for me."

For a moment he was silent. But he finally smiled.

"You know what I think of making you work at my house", he said, though. "It makes me such a bad host."

"You haven't made me work, Hope, I did it willingly. Don't give it another though, right? If we are to live under the same roof, even if it's just for a while, you have to forget about being a host."

"Okay…", Hope scratched his head. "Can I at least pretend I'm a host and offer you a decent dinner?"

Lightning shook her head.

"I ate some of what you brought not so long ago. Now all I want is to sleep, so save your cooking skills for tomorrow. I think I'll need it more than today."

"Oh, yes, I forgot", Hope muttered putting his hand into his pocket, pulled out a folded piece of satin paper and gave it to his friend. "It's a map of Academia. I've marked the Guardian Corps' headquarters, it'll be easier for you to find it than if you follow the city signs."

"Thanks", she said, and slipped it into her jacket before getting up from the sofa. "I'm gonna sleep as soon as I dress up for it. By the way, I realized you just have a bedroom, is that so?"

"Ah… Well, yeah", Hope's cheeks were stained soft scarlet. "But don't worry about it… I thought you could sleep in my bedroom, and I will do on the couch."

"And you're planning to do so all the time I stay here?", Lightning raised a brow. "That's so stupid. I'm sure there's room for both."

Hope's blush became even more intense.

"But, Light… Are you… are you sure about this?"

"What's wrong? Please don't tell me you're ashamed to sleep beside me. When we travelled together you hadn't such qualms."

"Yes, but…", the young Director didn't know how to put that. "Things… have changed a bit since then…"

It seemed like Hope's embarrassment were amusing Lightning, judging by her expression.

"Don't be childish, Hope. Just because you grew up doesn't mean you have to spend weeks sleeping on the couch in your own house because I'm here. You're not gonna allow me to do so and I won't allow you either, understood?", Hope sighed, still blushing. "Right, now I'm going to sleep. What are you gonna do?"

"I guess I'll bring the food I brought in the fridge, eat something and go to sleep too. Tomorrow I'll have a lot of work to do at the Academy's headquarters."

Lightning nodded.

"If you have to enter your bedroom, call first, right?"

"Of course, that's not even needed to say."

"It never hurts more", the young former soldier smiled mockingly. She turned on her heel and headed for the bedroom door, opened it and closed it behind her, leaving Hope standing there, still unable to react to the awkwardness of the situation waiting for him.

Lightning was right, he would have to get used to her continuous presence in the apartment as something usual. After all, it wouldn't last forever. But that was easier said than done, the embarrassed Director of the Academy said to himself while eating a piece of bread with cheese sitting on one of the couches after a few minutes.

Furthermore, they were friends. Hope would never make a wrong step with Lightning, that was for sure. He preferred facing Barthandelus again rather than betray his friend's trust.

He resignedly sighed again, turned off the lights of the rest of the apartment and knocked on the bedroom door as Lightning had asked him to do.

"Come in", her voice answered from there.

He did, not without hesitation. But Lightning had lit the small bedside lamp and had already tucked between the sheets; as far as Hope could see, she was wearing a baggy reddish shirt. She was awake, but he could see the weariness in her face, framed by her pink hair.

"Did I awake you?"

"Nah. I don't fall asleep so easily."

"I'm not sure if you'll enjoy sleeping with me, then", Hope said pulling a white shirt and loosen gray pants of the dresser. "My father always said I have an incredibly restless sleep."

Lightning shrugged while her friend went into the bathroom to change clothes.

"As long as you don't punch me when I'm asleep, it'll be fine."

After a short time, Hope came out with his Academy uniform neatly folded in his arms, and placed it on the dresser. He looked awkwardly at Lightning and then at the space she had left for him in the bed.

"Hope, I'm not gonna bite you", the young woman said to him somewhat sarcastically when she noticed her friend's nervous glances. He rolled his eyes and sat on the edge of the bed, unwittingly twisting the yellow fabric wristband he never took off despite not wearing gloves.

Having enough of his doubts, Lightning pulled Hope's shoulder and almost made him eat his pillow when she basically forced the young man to lie on the mattress.

"Okay, fine, that's enough", he grumbled rubbing his shoulder; he was sure that Lightning's strength had left a mark in his skin even through the fabric of his shirt. He covered himself with the sheets, trying to not touch his friend. "I'm here. You happy now?"

She chuckled.

"Maybe you're now older than me, Hope, but in some things you're still the same scared kid I met so long ago during the Purge."

"How am I supposed to take that?", Hope said raising his eyebrows.

"Take it as you like", Lightning smiled sleepily and turned off the bedside light. "Good night, Hope."

The sudden darkness caught Hope by surprise, who wasn't expecting she would end the conversation so abruptly. The truth was, though, she was exhausted and had already told him she wanted to fall sleep as soon as possible.

"Good night, Light", he replied, getting only a vague grunt in response.

When he turned searching for a better position, moving with extreme caution to keep his distance from Lightning, Hope noticed the soft smell coming from the pillow. It was nice, fresh and clean. Was it his friend's doing? Indeed she had been so keen on making the apartment look livable and cozy.

_"She must miss a home"_, the young man thought, feeling sorry for her. _"A place where you feel safe and at peace. I guess we coincide on that…"_

The soft, slow sound of Lightning's breathing came to him from beside. It was surprisingly comforting. For once, Hope didn't feel as lonely as he had felt during all those years in which only the merciless silence accompanied him at night.

Smiling to himself, the young Director of the Academy closed his eyes.

_"Perhaps, after all, I can end up considering Academia my true home." _


	4. Soldier

_**Partners**_

* * *

**IV. Soldier**

* * *

Although the curtains covered the window, they were thin enough for the first morning sunrays to leak through them. Used for centuries to the dim gloom of Valhalla and then the often not so bright sky of Nova Chrysalia, Lightning woke up when the faint light touched her eyelids. It took a while for her to remember where she was, and smiled to herself when she heard Hope's soft breathing beside her; she turned her head to him, and saw her friend back to her, wrapped in the sheets so she only could see part of his white shirt and the silver hair strands that covered his neck, longer and straighter than in his time as a teenager.

Lightning smiled briefly remembering how difficult had been to convince Hope to share the bedroom. He had always been gentle and shy, but over the years it seemed that those traits had led to a remarkable gallantry. As she assumed, Hope wasn't trying to take advantage of her; in fact, he'd probably spent whole weeks apologizing if he accidentally touched her.

She looked at the clock embedded in the surface of the bedside lamp: it was ten past seven in the morning. She didn't know at what time Hope used to get up, but she preferred to let him sleep. After all, he was the Director; he had the right to rest a bit more and go a bit later to the Academy headquarters, specially since he worked so hard and for so many hours without resting even ten minutes.

She, in the other hand, had another long day ahead. She also deserved a break after cleaning thoroughly Hope's apartment, but she refused to be a burden for him. That meant being back to work even having been a divine warrior, but only by keeping herself busy she could feel pleased with herself and earn the wage she needed to get and keep a home.

But Lightning had a feeling that her stay at Hope's home wouldn't end soon. Life in Academia seemed anything but cheap.

Trying not to awake her friend, the young woman rose, stretched like a cat and took her clothes from the closet to put them on in the bathroom: a purple turtleneck sweater, brown pants and black jacket and boots. It was practically the only clothes she had, if she didn't count her Nova Chrysalia's attire, but she didn't intend to borrow anything from Hope. She couldn't and she didn't want depend on him for everything; it would make her feel like a parasite.

Once she had a shower, she dressed and groomed herself a bit, she went to the kitchen to get a quick breakfast and head out to do what she had planning to do since she arrived to the city. She wasn't sure how to use the toaster, very different from the ones she had used throughout her life, and she just had a white coffee with bread, and while she was eating she carefully studied the map of Academia Hope gave her the previous night.

The Guardian Corps quarters weren't too far from the Academy headquarters. It was logical, Lightning thought appreciatively, because in case of an emergency in the Academy, the civilians' protectors would soon arrive there and fix the situation much more efficiently. In addition, there were small strategic checkpoints placed at different points of the metropolis for street patrolling.

She finished her frugal breakfast quickly, eager for start working again. She wasn't a person used to stay still in one place. Lightning liked endeavor and knowing that her successes were deserved. Military life, in that sense, was perfect for her.

She was about to leave the apartment when she remembered she hadn't told Hope about her plan for that day. If her friend woke up and didn't see her, he could worry about her, and knowing him he probably would look for her in the streets. She remembered how much time she spent trying to convince Hope for not giving up his role of guiding and assisting her while traveling through Nova Chrysalia and rush to where she was whenever she was in danger, and she amusedly smiled while looking for a piece of paper and pencil for writing him a note.

It wasn't a very long note, but Lightning wasn't so good giving explanations. She hoped simply telling him she would be at the Guardian Corps quarters and that she probably would return late would be enough to avoiding Hope an extra concern. Judging by the small talk she had with Hope the day before, the Academy had much work to do in a world that had been spared from the destructive influence of Chaos only a week ago.

Once she was done, Lightning entered the bedroom trying to be as quiet as possible to not awaking Hope, somewhat difficult by the hard soles of her boots and the sound of her footsteps on the wooden floor. She left the note on the pillow, so her friend would see it when he woke up. Before she walked away from the bed, she paused and watched the young man sleeping with a half-smile in his lips. He looked quiet, and that was quite an achievement considering all the responsibilities he had to bear.

_"In that sense, we're the same"_, Lightning thought, frowning. From the short time she spent watching those who weren't her sister Serah, she had seen fragments of Hope's life and by what she observed, her friend sacrificed his childhood, already shattered because of the Purge and his journey as l'Cie, in pursuit of his degree for helping his friends. _"Even though we carried our responsibilities in a very different way, the whole world depended of us."_

Yes, it certainly had been that way, the young woman thought, and she shook her head before leaving the bedroom and carefully closing the door. She had fought for the future with the power of her blade and magic in Valhalla, while Hope devoted himself to research and the creation of the New Cocoon in Gran Pulse. And both used Serah and Noel to succeed in their respective tasks.

Lightning couldn't help thinking that, despite being separated in time and space, she and Hope had been working together in protecting the future closer than they thought before Etro's fall.

The bright morning sun greeted her, reflected in the countless glass windows of the huge city of Academia. Lightning had to cover her eyes momentarily, until the sudden light stopped dazzling her. She glanced at the map Hope gave her and then looked at the streets, floating over a vast pit. She realized Academia was built of many floors, and streets and avenues wove a very complicated, labyrinthine network of links between the various districts. Without the detailed directions Hope had written down in the map, besides marking the Guardian Corps quarters on in, she would've been lost in no more than ten minutes of wandering the metropolis.

Luckily, she hadn't lost her sense of direction. She took a while to understand how the streets were connected, but once she did, she used both the map and the signs to gradually get closer to her destination. Fortunately, she was plenty of time.

Without all the people who once lived there, Academia looked empty and dead. But it still had that feeling of cooperation and brotherhood that deeply amazed her when she stepped on its polished sidewalks. Hope had told her the citizens themselves had built it, and it was that feeling which had been embedded in every street of the city, according to the legends. Lightning was surprised that there were tales about a place that technologically advanced, but the truth was Academia existed for four and five hundred years when Hope woke up there in his time capsule.

_"I'd like to see Academia as it was before all this"_, she thought, regretting the innumerable losses Etro's death had brought with her. "_If there's anyone who can do it, that's Hope. It's quite amazing that scared kid that stuck to my heels in the Vile Peaks has become some kind of messiah for all this people."_

She laughed to herself while she saw the Guardian Corps' emblem engraved on a large building a little further. Telling Hope what she had just thought could trigger two reactions: either offending him by highlighting his weakness as a teenager, or making him unable to utter two words without stammering in embarrassment.

There wasn't any soldier guarding the entrance of the building. Lightning knew they didn't have many soldiers and it was unlikely that anyone would attack them, but she still frowned disapprovingly. From her point of view, a soldier shouldn't ever let his guard down.

She crossed the door feeling uncomfortable under the inquisitive glances of the few soldiers who were there. It was weird to apply for membership in the Guardian Corps when she had been Etro's Champion and the savior of the world almost ten days ago. But judging by the smirk that some soldiers were giving her, they had no idea about who she was, but rather wondered what a woman had to do there.

Lightning didn't even look at them. She passed by and went to one man, who was giving orders to the others. The plate covering his right shoulder, marked with two lines glowing with a green light, indicated that he had the rank of captain.

When he saw her walking to him, the soldier raised his eyebrows almost sarcastically.

"Is there anything you want, miss?", he asked, implying with his voice he had no time to lose to a woman who, in his eyes, was just sightseeing Academia.

But Lightning didn't flinch. She hadn't flinched even at the very gods.

"Captain", the young woman bowed her head, a respectful greeting that civilians gave to military high-ranked officers; she shouldn't use the military salute until she was again a soldier. "I'm sorry for interrupting your work. I assume you're the head of the Guardian Corps here."

The man looked at her surprised. He definitely didn't expect Lightning to know about military ranks and social protocols tied to them.

"That's right. I'm Captain Audren, the head of Academia's Guardian Corps' division. At least, for now, until things settle down a bit", he said, and squinted. "You seem to know a lot about the Guardian Corps. Is there something I can help you?"

"Yes", Lightning straightened and crossed her arms. "I want to join the Guardian Corps' Academia Regiment."

Captain Audren couldn't quite hide his astonishment, nor the other soldiers, who turned their heads to Lightning. I wasn't usual at all for a young, beautiful woman like her to request to join their ranks as a soldier. But Lightning's stern demeanor made them think twice before making any prank.

"Do you want to join the Guardian Corps' city division?", the surprised captain repeated, and Lightning nodded. "I see you don't lack determination and assurance, miss, but a soldier doesn't survive by just having these two virtues. Skill, strength and courage are needed as well, and that's not so easy to prove."

"Try me, then", she replied pointing to the gunblades hanging on the walls of the quarters. "Right now, if you want."

The soldiers had begun to murmur among themselves. Captain Audren awkwardly scratched his head: that woman was practically challenging him to a duel. She said she wanted to show her worth, but usually the request of the entrance exam wasn't nearly as sharp as he had just heard.

Although he couldn't say they didn't have anything to do, the captain couldn't reject a challenge from a woman if he didn't want to be the scorn and mockery of the other soldiers for the rest of his military career. And Lightning knew it.

"Very well, let's proceed with your test", Audren accepted, still bewildered, and waved to her. "Follow me; we'll fight in the training room."

She nodded and obeyed him. On the corner of her eye, as she followed the captain through the wide hallway, she saw the other soldiers tracking them quietly, and smiled to herself. They surely didn't want to miss a humiliating defeat, no matter if the defeated was the young woman or their boss.

The training room was wide, with shelves filled by all kind of weapons and a huge circle drawn on the wooden combat floor. At that early hour in the morning, it was completely empty.

_'The fewer the gossips, the better for me'_, Lightning thought wearily glancing at the soldiers who had followed them and were watching them expectantly.

"Well, you'd better start with the basics", the captain said, holding out to her a short thick metal rod, but he soon realized the young woman had taken a gunblade from the shelves and was brandying it in a perfect fighting stance. "Hold on, miss! Gunblades are elite weapons! You can't start practicing with them until you get a certain rank!"

"I know how to fight with a gunblade", she replied calmly. She hadn't used one in a while, since during her adventure in Nova Chrysalia she had used a more traditional blade, but she was sure she hadn't lost her skills. "I can prove it, Captain, if I may."

Audren looked at her in disbelief, like the other soldiers, but he decided it was okay to try. He hung the rod in the wall and took another gunblade, larger than the one Lightning had chosen.

"Okay, then. But I'm not responsible for any accident that happens to you, miss", Lightning shrugged. The captain moved into his position and raised his weapon. "_En garde!_ On the count of three, we'll start the test."

Lightning gave him a mocking half-smile and imitated Audren's posture.

"One… Two… Three!", the captain rushed swiftly to Lightning, but suddenly, no knowing what was happening, a dark flash crossed his sight and struck once, twice, thrice the edge of his gunblade until the weapon fell far away from him, one arm surrounded the soldier's neck from behind and then another gunblade was pointing directly to his heart. Captain Audren took a moment to realize Lightning had rushed to him so fast that he hadn't even seen the slashes which had disarmed him.

"What do you say, Captain?", the young woman smiled, releasing him. "Am I worth, or not?"

The man didn't answer right away. He watched her with wide eyes, like the other soldiers, who had lost their expectant grins from their dazzled faces.

"How… This can't be possible… Who taught you to use the gunblade this way?"

"I was a sergeant in the Guardian Corps long ago", she explained, not so interested, ensuring the blade of her weapon hadn't been dented. "After that, I kept using swords and edged weapons."

"I see… And you can use magic?", the captain was still amazed. Lightning simply nodded, and for proving it she pointed to the ground; fire broke out instantly, fading seconds later. "That's impressive, miss. If you don't mind, could you tell me your name?"

"I'm Lightning, Lightning Farron."

At the mention of the name, the men that were there gasped in surprise, faces as white as a sheet.

"Lightning Farron?", Captain Audren repeated. "The leader of the Six? The Liberator of Souls?"

"I don't have the brand of a l'Cie anymore and I'm not serving any deity right now, but yes, I was both things."

"Well, well… It's quite an honor, Miss Farron", the captain bowed his head. "Director Estheim spoke so highly of you in the golden days of Academia."

Lightning blinked in surprise.

"Hope —I mean, the Director— spoke highly of me?"

"Of course, there's so many tales about you he told the Guardian Corps' soldiers the first time he awoke in Academia, it's said he always was willing to tell us about your exploits. You and him knew each other, don't you?"

"Yes, we've been close friends for a long time."

Audren nodded.

"Sure it's no small feat… What else can I tell you, Miss Farron? Welcome back to the ranks of the Guardian Corps. We're honored to have again your blade and your combat skills with us."

"Thanks, Captain", she answered, this time making the appropriate military salute.

"To you, Miss Farron. Now, if you please, you shall accompany me to finalize the formalities for entering the army. Simple bureaucracy, you know."

Lightning frowned. So much time had passed since she joined the Guardian Corps that she had forgotten how tedious it had been to fill all files and pass all the medical checks the first time.

_"Hopefully they won't question me as much as they did when I was sixteen, after the little show I put…"_

* * *

The sun was setting when Lightning finally got to Hope's apartment, exhausted and done with all the paperwork and physical exercise she had been asked to do the rest of the day at the Guardian Corps quarters. It was true that they hadn't put her so many drawbacks as in her first time joining the army as a teenager, but the day had been equally long and tedious for a warrior whose hobby between meals was arguably hunting behemoths.

She was so tired that she asked herself if she would be able to crawl to the couch or the bed, but when she opened the front door, a scent so delicious greeted her that her nostrils began to vibrate, attracted by the smell.

Surprised, after closing the door behind her, Lightning walked slowly down the hallway, ready to fight if it was necessary. But when she reached the living room, she found Hope in the kitchen, wearing one of his eternal white shirts, his gray pants and his blue tie, in front of a steaming stewpot on the stove and brandishing a ladle in his hand.

"Hope?", Lightning asked, puzzled. Her friend turned to her startled, but as soon as he saw her he gave her one of his gentle smiles.

"Hey, Light. I didn't hear you, you scared me. How're you?"

"Exhausted, but I'll survive", the young woman got closer to him and glanced at the pot. "What are you doing?"

"I think it's pretty obvious", Hope laughed amusedly. "I'm making dinner. Aren't you hungry?"

Lightning's stomach growled just then, answering the question for her, to which Hope grinned and put the ladle inside the pot.

"Yeah, but… I didn't imagine you were gonna make dinner… Didn't you come back late from the headquarters?"

"Not so late. At least for now; anyway, I prefer getting up and get home a bit earlier", the young man said, and sniffed the stew. "It's almost ready. Is it okay for you if we have dinner now?"

"Sure. Just give me a moment to change clothes."

Hope nodded, and while Lightning headed to the bedroom to put on something more comfortable, he pulled out of the cupboard two bowls, spoons and glasses. When his friend came back, dressed in the clothes she wore for sleep, she found the kitchen table almost set and Hope waiting patiently with the stove already turned off.

"Have I taken a long time? I hope it hasn't cooled."

"You're just in time", Hope smiled. He served in one of the bowls something that looked like a meat stew with vegetables and potatoes, and gave it to her. "Here, this one's for you. If you want more, tell me."

"No, that's fine", Lightning studied curiously the meal. It didn't look like anything she remembered eating in Cocoon. "What's this?"

Hope, who had already served his bowl and had sat at the table, chuckled.

"Taste it first, and then I'll tell you."

"And why's that? What on Pulse have you put in this? Tonberry meat?", Lightning suspiciously asked. But Hope only laughed and pointed to the chair beside him, inviting her to sit there. She did, still mistrusting the bowl in her hands.

"I just want to get a decent review as a self-taught cook", the young scientist joked. "Don't worry, I won't poison you."

Lightning sighed resignedly; she sometimes wished Hope hadn't learned some things from her, such as stubbornness or sarcasm. It seems he enjoyed keeping her in suspense. But the truth was the stew smelled too well and her stomach was making loud protests.

Not so sure about that, she took the spoon and dipped it in the dish under Hope's expectant gaze. She blew to the spoon before eating the contents of the spoon to cool them off. Her eyes widened in surprise: the meat's flavor was a bit spicy, but delicious. She didn't remember eating anything that tasted so good in Cocoon.

"How is it? Do you like it?", Hope asked almost shyly.

"It tastes great. Now, can you tell me what's this?", Lightning pointed the spoon to him jokingly, to which he laughed softly.

"It's behemoth stew", he replied; the young woman almost dropped the spoon in shock. "Noel taught me the recipe the first few days after we awoke in Nova Chrysalia. He told me it was a typical dish in his tribe, but I remember a certain grilled behemoth meat restaurant here in Academia which was very popular."

"I'd never thought behemoth meat could taste this good", after regaining her composure, Lightning attacked the dinner again. "But I do hope you haven't cooked the saw as well."

Hope laughed.

"Of course not. But hey, who knows, it might add some flavor."

Lightning shook her head, but she couldn't help smiling. For a while they ate in silence, until she realized she hadn't asked Hope anything about his day.

"Well then, tell me. How was your day?"

"Nothing very exciting", he said shrugging. "We've advanced in the electricity recovery issue, but ignoring the mess that has been a flanitor escaping from his cage, the day was pretty quiet. How about yours in the Guardian Corps quarters?"

She grinned.

"Quite boring. The only mildly exciting thing was the test against the captain, a guy called Audren."

"Ah, Captain Audren. He was in charge of evacuating Academia before Cocoon's fall", Hope said, and he smiled amusedly. "How many seconds took you to beat him?"

"I think it hardly were five seconds. It was easy as hell; the first time I did the test I spent almost twenty minutes trying to not drop the rod."

Hope tilted his head, undoubtedly imagining teenager-ish Farron struggling to hold the basic weapon of the Guardian Corps' soldiers.

"What did they told you? Are they going to give you again the sergeant rank?"

"I will know that tomorrow. But that's not a concern for me, I'm sure I'll get back in no time, if they don't give it to me right away."

Her friend nodded. There was another silence during which they continued having dinner —Lightning hadn't any problem with that since she was starving and the stew tasted so good—, but then Hope looked up and watched her with a half-smile in his lips. Lightning took several seconds to realize the young man was staring.

"What? Is there anything on my face?", she asked, puzzled. Hope blinked and blushed slightly, and he looked away to his bowl.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking…", he paused, and gave her a shy smile. "If you start working tomorrow in the Guardian Corps, sergeant or not, I'll have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? For me?", Lightning raised a brow. "What kind of surprise you're talking about?"

Hope emphasized his smile.

"It's called 'surprise' for a reason. I'm sure you'll know tomorrow, so just be patient. Okay?"

"Of course it's not okay! You can't say something like that and leave me with the intrigue. C'mon, tell me now, Hope!"

But, no matter how much Lightning tried to make Hope spill his little secret, during and after dinner, she couldn't convince him for telling which the surprise was. Definitely, she wished her friend hadn't learned what stubbornness was from her.

_"The worst thing of all this is I cannot strangle him with questions as I'd do with any other person"_, Lightning thought that night in bed, with Hope already sleeping beside her after she had nagged him about his secret for almost ten minutes. _"I wonder if I had softened over the years or it's simply I can't act with Hope as a soldier…"_

* * *

**A/N:** _I'm not really used to use the Author's Notes section because I like to keep my chapters clean and nice and all that stuff. But I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I was SO busy with university and all that stuff and my inspiration betrayed me. I've been struggling with this one for so long. But now it is here! So please, forgive me for keeping you waiting!_

_I added a bit more details about Light's journey because now we have a bit more information about _**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_. I usually try to avoid giving details about that. You can easily guess why._

_As a side note, in January I'll have to study until my elbows go raw, so I don't know if I could bring you another chapter. I'll try to write one during the Christmas holidays, but I can't promise you a certain success in doing so._

_And... Oh, well. I'm just wondering if the rating would have to go up or not. No, I'm not gonna write any explicit scenes, nor even describe the prelude because it's not my style, but maybe there are themes like pregnancy and all that stuff. Spanish ratings work a bit different, so, what do you think? Should I turn the rating to T, or not?_

_Ah, of course, thank you for all the reviews! I want you to know I read each one of them. I know my English is trash because I'm Spanish and it's not my language, but I enjoy a lot translating these stories and I like improving in my English writing. *3*_


	5. Secret

_**Partners**_

* * *

**V. Secret**

* * *

That morning, when Lightning awoke at the first lights of dawn and shifted a bit under the covers, she found that Hope wasn't at her side. Surprised, she ran a hand over the surface of the bed: the fabric was cold. That meant he wasn't sleeping there for some time.

Lightning was about to jump out of bed to find her friend when, just after sitting up, her fingers touched a small piece of paper on the pillow. She recognized Hope's handwriting after taking a look at the note.

_Good morning, Light._

_There's been an emergency at the Academy headquarters and I had to go as soon as possible. It seems the work will take quite a while, so I don't know at what time I'll be back._

_I wish I could attend your investiture as a Guardian Corps' soldier, but I'm afraid I can't. But I know everything's going to be okay. I'm sure of it, and I believe in you._

_Call me if you need anything._

_**H. Estheim**_

She couldn't restrain a half-smile. Hope must've been very careful to not wake her up when he got the call from the Academy, because she hadn't noticed he was gone. The truth was, he always had a knack for discretion.

She read the note more calmly. Hope had planned to attend her appointment to soldier? Why he didn't tell her the previous night? Would that be the "surprise" she had tried to find out after dinner? Lightning was a bit disappointed; she would've liked Hope to accompany her, even if it just was for giving her moral support. Still, she could feel her friend's usual warmth in the words in paper. Her nervousness, well hidden under her apparent stoicism, subsided a bit while she had a shower and dressed and went to the kitchen to have breakfast.

That day she didn't have much to do. She was supposed to attend the simple appointment ceremony in the Guardian Corps' quarters and receive basic instruction about routines and tasks of the soldiers of Academia. Even so, she felt uneasy. It wasn't easy to have risked her life as a warrior chosen by the gods and then suddenly returning to a common life.

Thinking about that reminded her of Serah. How would be her and Snow doing in the early days of marriage? She had been so busy she hadn't even remembered to call them for asking how were they and Noel, whom they had taken into their home and was still recovering from the effects of Chaos. She decided she would call them when she arrived home that evening, no matter what.

Lightning never fully understood why Serah, despite having her, had chosen to share her life with Snow. Although her brother-in-law had earned her respect, she still believed she and Serah could have been perfectly fine together. But Hope was right: Snow made Serah happy, and for Lightning, her sister's happiness was above all things.

While she was leaving Hope's apartment and heading towards the Guardian Corps' quarters, Lightning recalled her conversation with Serah after the wedding, when she told her sister her plan to settle in Academia and share the same roof with the young scientist until she could afford her own house.

"I'm so happy for you! Academia is such a beautiful city", Serah had exclaimed, even though a bit of sadness surfaced on her face as she hugged her sister. "I'll miss you, but we'll go to visit you and Hope. And come to visit us, too!"

"Of course", Lightning smiled, and her expression turned a sly one. "You know, if you hadn't married Mister Hero Snow, we could've lived together and we wouldn't have to separate again. I don't quite understand what you see in sharing your life with a man… or worse, two", she pointed mockingly to Noel, who was watching the party wistfully.

But instead of getting angry at the clear implication of her older sister, Serah simply returned an identical grin to her.

"You'll soon understand", was her enigmatic answer.

Lightning couldn't make Serah explain what she meant with that. Her sister was an expert at keeping secrets. But that wasn't one that worried her so much, so she soon forgot.

On the other hand, she was still wondering if attending her appointment had really been the secret Hope mentioned the previous night. Moreover, she even wondered if her friend had left so early on purpose so she couldn't continue asking him about it.

Secrets everywhere. Lightning didn't like not knowing what was awaiting her. Why did people love them so fondly?

* * *

Hope was used to go immediately to the Academy headquarters whenever he was required for some urgent matter, and to date he hadn't minded sacrificing his sleep for his work. At the end of the day, he had been convinced the reward for his efforts would be worth it.

The problem was, he had already achieved his goal, and yet he had to spend hours and hours working tirelessly at the Academy. He knew it was his duty, but his plans for that day had been ruined and that was bothering him to no end.

He was thinking about that when he suddenly realized the academic at his side was staring at him, as if he was waiting for his answer. That made him land abruptly from his own world.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought…", he hurriedly excused himself; despite all his years being an important member of the institution, it still was hard for him to regain his composure whenever he lost it. "What were you telling me?"

"I was telling you that to end this today we'll need an extra dose of Thunder magic and even knowing there's the danger of an overload, we may require some of your Thundaga spells", the man said, and he observed him in concern. "Are you alright, Director? You look… dreamy."

"It's nothing", Hope sighed while arranging the papers scattered on the research room's table, where the Academy scientists met to discuss their theories and projects. "I think I've too many things on mind, nothing else."

"You're right, a lot of things have happened in a short time. Compared to the amount of things happened in five hundred years, of course", the other scientist noted. "Well, Director, what do you think? Personally, I agree with the Doctor: we should wait a little longer instead of rushing and make something go wrong."

Hope frowned while looking for his notes in a folder. They've been the last three hours meeting the highest authority of the Academy, Doctor Oscar Lamont, who had been in charge of the institution when the young man awoke there in his second stay in his time capsule, in 500 AF, few days before Cocoon's fall. As everyone in Nova Chrysalia, the centuries haven't left any scar in him physically, so he had resumed his job when everything returned to his former state.

While in Academia 400 AF the scientists and the leader of the Academy welcomed Hope with open arms after waking up from his slumber, it wasn't the case of Doctor Lamont. Back in the year 400 AF, Hope rejected the role of Doctor as the absolute ruler of the institution, and merely acted as a high-positioned advisor, but the difference of popularity between young Estheim and the current leader of the Academy was obvious. And that didn't quite amuse Doctor Lamont, who, in the short time Hope had dealt with him, had put all possible obstacles to his theories and proposals.

_"But he won't ruin me this"_, Hope thought decisively. _"Since I couldn't do a part, at least I have to compensate it with something else."_

"I'm not saying Doctor Lamont's opinion about you is right", the other scientist continued with uncertainty. "But you must recognize, Director, your ideas are sometimes… quirky."

Hope briefly raised his eyebrows. It was no secret that Doctor Lamont considered the young Director almost a fossil. He knew he was in an era that didn't belong to him, and as such he relegated his command in the people who lived in the world of his future and were used to science's great advances; the reason he chose the role of advisor was to be able to provide details of past technology and the world of his time that might have been lost over centuries But that didn't stop Doctor Lamont to say in a meeting Hope's ideas were "outdated and childish".

It wasn't the first time Hope's youth called into question his maturity. In his first two years as Director, he had been questioned no less than ten times a day.

"Sitting idly by while the city needs urgently this won't help so much", the young scientist said, taking the document he was looking for from the folder. "We could postpone it for a week and we wouldn't have progressed a bit. The Doctor knows I don't fancy to mix magic and technology unless it's strictly necessary, but with the current means we have at our disposal, only Thunder spells would provide the energy we need."

That was true, in part. Staunch defender of the ideal that humans shouldn't depend of anyone, Hope had avoided using magic in his life, despite his extraordinary skills as a mage. For years he believed magic came from the gods and fal'Cie, so he limited his use of it to simple tasks such as activating the Oracle Drives. But, over the centuries, specially in Nova Chrysalia, he learned magic was originated by crystal powder, and that crystal was nothing less than the crystallization of the forces of nature. Because the crystal particles in the air and soil after the Day of Ragnarok were much denser, people could use magic without being a l'Cie. Made this discovery, Hope's prejudices against magic erode over the years: now, his ideal was a world where magic and technology could live in peace, making civilization prosper by both human mind and the gifts of nature.

The academic frowned. He didn't look very convinced, but he didn't argue with Hope's explanation. Anyway, the last word was Doctor Lamont's.

"The truth is, the Academy has been a bit lost until you returned, Director", he said after a few minutes in which Hope reread and corrected the document he had drawn from the folder. "How come you didn't return before to the city?"

"I attended the wedding of a friend in New Bodhum", he said without looking up from his work. Although it wasn't a really important reason to any other person, it was to him; he never thought about not attending Serah and Snow's wedding. He wondered how they would be doing, and said to himself he had to remind Lightning to call them, if she hadn't yet.

He looked at the clock that hung in a wall. It was almost noon: at that time it would be taking place Lightning's appointment ceremony as the new Guardian Corps' soldier in Academia. He frowned, cursing to himself the great timing of the Academy's meetings; he would've loved to attend it, to accompany his friend at that special moment for her. It'd have been perfect to give her then the surprise he was storing for her.

_"I'll make it up at any cost"_, Hope thought recalling the conversation he had with Lightning when they arrived to the city. _"Not even Doctor Lamont will spoil a day Light deserves to enjoy."_

* * *

That evening, Lightning arrived to Hope's apartment with a half-smile in her lips, happy to be able to wear the uniform of the Guardian Corps once again. Besides, it wasn't the uniform worn by the other woman, but the one which centuries ago wore the Bodhum Security Regiment; apparently, no one could think of great soldier Lightning Farron wearing a different outfit as a Guardian Corps' member. She had awarded a special honor to that uniform, which once had been considered unique among the Guardian Corps in Cocoon.

Her new uniform was exactly like the one she had worn so much time ago, except for two details that made her feel a bit disappointed: her red cape and her old gunblade, a model known as the Blazefire Saber.

She understood why those details weren't included in her uniform. The red cape had been an add she decided to include: she was sixteen when she joined the Guardian Corps and a cape like that one made her feel strong and powerful, like a heroine able to protect Serah from everything and everyone; the thought seemed childish to her now, but Lightning still had a fondness for that cape. About the gunblade, Captain Audren told her the Blazefire Saber was a very ancient model that was no longer manufactured, and for her it was quite a blow, because that weapon had only been given to particularly talented soldiers. But, of course, those days were nothing more than legends for the inhabitants of Gran Pulse.

The appointment had been simple and formal. There weren't many soldiers in the quarters and luckily for Lightning not many of them attended it. Captain Audren gave her a diploma and her new uniform, and the plate over her right shoulder, adorned with two bright yellow lines meaning she had the rank of sergeant in the Guardian Corps. According to the Captain, there wasn't any reason to not giving her back a rank she already earned, despite having quit voluntarily before joining the Purge.

When she entered the apartment, Lightning saw the lights were off. That meant Hope hadn't returned yet, and she briefly frowned. Each day it was clearer to her that working at the Academy wasn't exactly easy.

While turning on the soft lights of the apartment and sitting on the sofa, tired, she found herself thinking again about Hope's mysterious secret. If he planned to attend her appointment, he couldn't have been more unlucky. She knew him well and knew he hated being unable to keep a promise. Certainly he would be apologizing for weeks when he was back.

Letting out a sigh, Lightning pulled out the thin phone Hope gave her and dialed Serah and Snow's number. Besides talking to her sister, she was eager to tell her the latest news and her recent experiences in Academia.

It was Serah who answered, which avoided the young woman to endure Snow's jokes before he passed the phone to her sister. Serah's joy was evident in her voice when Lightning told her she had rejoined the Guardian Corps and warmly congratulated her. Then she told her how she, Snow and Noel were; as Serah said, Noel was progressing favorably in his recovery, and he spent a lot of time hunting for distracting himself and leaving her and Snow time to be together.

They were chatting for a while when Lightning heard the front door open. She straightened up, alert, but after a few seconds it was Hope who came out of the hallway, looking so tired, but when he saw her he gave her a smile that sharpened when he noticed her soldier uniform. He didn't need to ask to who she was talking; only a really stupid person wouldn't know that in Lightning's list of priorities, the first name was her sister's.

"What's wrong, Lightning?", Serah asked.

"Don't worry. It's Hope, he's just arrived."

"Oh!, I see. Say him 'hi' from me."

Lightning gave a brief look to Hope, who had sat next to her, undoubtedly interested at the news Serah was telling to her sister, and she smiled.

"Tell him yourself", she said, and held the phone to Hope. He looked surprised, without daring to pick up the phone, but Lightning almost put it on his face to prevent another insecurity crisis of her friend.

"Hi, Hope!", Serah greeted when she heard the young man's breathing over the phone. With no choice, Hope took the phone from Lightning's hands.

"Hey, Serah. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt you…"

"It's okay, we already talked for a while. How are you? You working a lot, don't you?"

"Yes", Hope answered; beside him, Lightning tried to listen what her sister was saying by getting her ear closer to the phone. "But I knew I would have to, and anyway, it's something we must do. What about you? How're you doing?"

"Oh, we're fine! Snow asked me if I knew when you two would be coming to visit us. And Noel's getting better, I think being close to the sea it's good for him. He spends a lot of time, outdoors, hunting and all, and he says it'd be great you come to see us."

"Well, Light can go anytime", Hope gave a slightly uncomfortable chuckle. "But it'll be a bit difficult for me right now. I feel terribly bad about that, but as things are at the moment, it'll be impossible until we've solved the major problems…"

"Don't worry", Serah said. "Come when you can. But come the two of you, okay? And don't forget to call us from time to time!"

"Sure", Lightning, who had been listening to the conversation, intervened smiling.

They talked for a few more minutes, until Serah finally said she had to make dinner for both Snow and Noel, who had gone hunting together, and they hung up. Lightning looked at the phone with a wistful expression in her blue eyes.

"I can't believe yet she has returned", she murmured, her gaze lost in space but happy. Hope stared at her, thinking to himself she wasn't the only one who couldn't quite believe one of the Farron sisters returned from a dreadful fate.

"You miss her, don't you?", the young man asked quietly after a minute.

"Of course I miss her. But I must assume Serah has chosen her own path and she doesn't need my protection anymore. And, you know, I think it's actually better this way. You have to give wings to those who don't know how to fly, and Serah has already taken flight."

Hope gave a shy half-smile, but he said nothing.

"You've taken flight too", Lightning told him, guessing what her friend was thinking. "Now you don't need my protection either."

"I don't mind if you keep it, I'm not as strong as you or Serah. And yet, I won't forget my promise, I told you once", Hope said shyly and looked away trying to hide his blush. Fortunately, Lightning didn't notice.

"No way of taking it off your head, huh? To be honest, I wasn't planning to forget about it. I'm just saying at least you can defend yourself now. And I'm glad I was able to teach you that", the young woman affably ruffled her friend's silver hair, as she did many times during their journey as l'Cie.

"That reminds me…", Hope looked up and his eyes observed Lightning's uniform. "I haven't congratulated you for your appointment yet. And it's even worse after seeing you're a sergeant again…"

"It's okay, Serah was more important."

"But you don't have your cape", the young scientist noted. "Nor have any weapons. They didn't give them back to you?"

Lightning made an abrupt gesture that could be understood as resignation or as annoyance.

"As things are at the time, I guess I can't ask for more. I'll have to get used to the 'modern' weapons of the Guardian Corps. But I've tried them and they're a real mess, I don't know how they can use them with such ease."

Hope chuckled. Lightning knew he wasn't laughing at her, but that only made her wonder for what he was laughing. She shot him a questioning look, but he didn't return it to her.

When she followed his gaze, she realized he was staring thoughtfully at a bundle of red cloth in his arms that she hadn't noticed until then. Before she could ask, Hope looked up and smiled.

"Well, then I guess you'll enjoy a gift", he said handing her that wrinkled fabric. "Sorry about not having wrapped it properly, it isn't easy to do in these hard times, but… well, I promised you this."

"Is this your surprise? A gift?", surprised, Lightning took the cloth; it weighed heavily to be just fabric. "I thought your surprise was coming with me to the ceremony…"

"I would've loved to give this to you there, but I'm afraid my entire plan went wrong", Hope explained apologetically. "I had to improvise a bit."

Lightning chose not to ask anything more and unwrapped the red cloth, full of curiosity to know once for all the secret Hope had been hiding from her a whole day. Suddenly, her fingers touched a metal surface, and her heart raced excitedly.

When she removed completely the fabric, a bright and sharp gunblade shone in her lap. It was a Blazefire Saber, identical to the one she wielded centuries ago, in her time as l'Cie. It was exactly like her old weapon, so much so she found the phrase engraved expressly for her in the archaic characters of Pulse's script: "Invoke my name – I am Spark".

"How…", Lightning had run out of words. "Where did you get…? Captain Audren told me this gunblade model isn't manufactured anymore…"

"Yeah, I know. That's why I made it myself", Hope revealed shyly; Lightning looked up at him incredulously. "Don't you remember your Blazefire Saber once broke when we were traveling together? I rebuilt it. And I took the chance to figure out how it worked and in which parts consisted."

That made sense. Lightning knew Hope had been fascinated about her gunblade. He asked her to teach him to use it, but she refused because it was a weapon too heavy for someone with her friend's physique, the kind who has a lot more brains than muscles.

Although it was a bit risky to handle a weapon inside Hope's apartment, Lightning wanted to give it a try. She got up and with a flick of the wrist she transformed the gunblade into its gun position. It was a smooth and perfect transformation, proof of Hope's extraordinary skill for mechanics.

"Thank you, Hope. You didn't have to give me anything, but… thank you anyway", Lightning said after having tested the lightness of her new Blazefire Saber in its blade position. He simply smiled, and took the red cloth in which had wrapped the weapon.

"Not at all. But before you thank me too soon, I think your uniform's missing something", and with an amused smile, he handed his friend the fabric. It took her a moment to realize what he meant, and when she did she felt even more surprised.

"Is that my cape?", she asked to be sure, to what Hope nodded. "How did you know they wouldn't give it back to me?"

"I was aware that the Guardian Corps of this time didn't know all the details when they made their heroine's uniform", he explained while Lightning took her cape and clasped it in the shoulder plate. "I liked that cape, so I thought I could give it one to you. I'm not very good at sewing, but—"

He couldn't say anything more because at that moment Lightning embraced him without warning. Although Hope was now taller than her, her reaction caught him off guard, just like in Palumpolum when he still was a kid among his taller, stronger fellow l'Cie and looked lost and helpless around them.

"Shut up, Hope", murmured the young woman, a mockingly tone in her voice. "Sometimes you give too many explanations."

He rolled his eyes; it wasn't the first time Lightning noted this, specially since she learned he had become a scientist. According to her, he had taken the bad habit of looking for an explanation for everything and everyone.

The clock that hung in a wall stated that was only a bit more than a minute to eight o'clock in the evening. Smiling, Hope gently pulled away from Lightning and went to the large window of the living room.

"Well… Like I said, I couldn't attend your appointment and give you this at the time, because of that emergency at the Academy. But maybe you'll like this", the young man said, and called Lightning with a gesture. "Come, look at this."

She was intrigued, so she did. From there they could see Academia's Grand Avenue dimly illuminated by the moonlight, silent and cold as the city was still recovering from the cataclysm that had befallen the world.

For a long minute they silently observed the dark landscape. And then, when Lightning was about to ask what she was supposed to look at, the clock struck eight o'clock.

And in that moment, an intense and radiant light that had nothing to do with the moon suddenly lit up not only the Grand Avenue, but the whole city of Academia. After the first impression, which almost dazzled Lightning, she realized it wasn't just a light, but hundreds, thousands of lights of all colors coming from holograms, images, conveyors… There was light everywhere, wherever they look at: Academia had become a replica of the night sky, full of bright stars.

She couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise, marveled. She never, in all the time she had lived, would have imagined seeing a city as spectacular, so technological but so full of magic. She couldn't define Academia as how she was watching it. Upon her arrival she had thought of it as impressive, but in that moment… It seemed that "beautiful" was an understatement.

"You've… reactivated the electrical system", Lightning muttered when she found again the words.

She turned her head to Hope, who didn't answer. He was staring at the night view of Academia, and Lightning thought his light-colored eyes were brighter than usual. For him the sight had to be more special than for her, specially since that city was one of his greatest works. Perhaps the only one he had left, since the fall of the New Cocoon.

"Thanks, Hope", Lightning said simply.

Hope gave her a wistful half-smile. The lenses of his glasses shone in the light that had illuminated Academia amidst the darkness of the night.

"You owe me nothing", he softly replied. "You cleaned my house. I'm just returning the favor. Now we're even."

"Oh, c'mon", Lightning looked at him exasperatedly. "Don't tell me you did this just because of that. I told you I did it because I wanted to. I didn't ask you to return me the favor."

"We had to reactivate the system anyways, so it's not exactly the same… But, since I couldn't accompany you, I thought you'd like to see Academia as it was in its good times in a day like this", even though Hope's smile showed his fatigue, it was sincere. "It took me a lot of Thundaga spells, but it's been worth it."

"You used your own magic to do this?", Lightning understood then why her friend was so tired. "You're hopeless. Someday you'll kill yourself for real."

"Scold me as much as you want. For me, it's enough to know I've made your day a bit better", he said amusedly. Lightning shook her head, but ultimately preferred to forget about the lectures; her friend was right, he had made that day even more special for her.

"You should rest", the young woman noted after a few moments. "You've made a really huge effort to reactivate the electricity."

"Don't worry, I won't die yet. And don't try to let your return to the Guardian Corps pass without a decent dinner", Hope smiled, and before Lightning could stop him, he went to the kitchen. "But it'd be nice if you help me a bit", he added ahead of his friend's protests, who had already opened her mouth.

Lightning sighed, resigned, but she soon smiled back and followed him to the kitchen, where he was already taking the things they'd need from the cupboard.

"If I didn't know you're that helpful to everyone, Hope, I'd wonder why you're so fussed this way with me", the young soldier noted jokingly.

Hope simply chuckled softly, but he didn't answer the question.

_"Sometimes I wonder how come that answer still remains a secret for you."_

* * *

**A/N:**_ Just a few simple notes, just in case someone asks me about._

_You may think this one is more romantic than the other ones. Well, that's not my aim here. I simply try for now to develop their relationship as friends, I won't make Hope and Lightning to be suddenly in love because that's not like them. I do believe this kind of things happen because their friendship relationship is so special that is inevitable to think about them as immediate lovers. C'mon, the way Hope talks about Lightning in _**Final Fantasy XIII-2**_ is obvious as hell. We've still to know what's Lightning's point of view, but in the novels she's reminded of Hope when she met Mog, and she calls him "a good-luck charm". That's so damn adorable!_

_Hope does say he's just an advisor for the Academy, so he doesn't rule it. I thought the title "Doctor" can be the one for the highest member in the institution, so that's why introduced the grumpy Doctor Oscar Lamont. Since __**Final Fantasy **__enjoys doing a lot of references to older games, I went with the last name "Lamont" as a reference to the alias chosen by Larsa Ferrinas Solidor of_ **Final Fantasy XII**_ when we first meet him. Doctor Lamont is quite the authoritary leader of the Academy, so I thought a name related to the Archadian Empire could fit him. But he's not a bad person, just like Larsa._

_Final point: Hope's glasses. Yeah. I imagine Hope with glasses. To underline his resemblance to his father Bartholomew, because in his twenty-four-years-old he finally looks a bit more like his father, most noticeably in the ending of_ **XIII-2**_ if you compare his facial traits to Bartholomew's. And hell, he's a freaking scientist! Glasses do suit him well. And he looks unbearably attractive with them on. I hadn't mentioned them in previous chapters, but I pictured him with glasses all the time. It's not a mistake, it's just I like to describe things bit by bit. It's a nice reading effect I like._

_So, well. Here it is! I hope to bring you the sixth chapter soon!_


	6. Slumber

_**Partners**_

* * *

**VI. Slumber**

* * *

It passed half and a week after Lightning's return to the Guardian Corps' ranks, during which an unspoken daily routine was established between the two friends: in the morning both attended their work –Lightning woke up earlier than Hope– and they didn't come back home until evening; they usually had dinner together, but sometimes they were assigned night shifts and had to stay working until dawn, and when they came home the other one had already gone to work.

There was so much to do, both in the Guardian Corps and the Academy. Hope and Lightning had no choice but to work exceptionally hard, and sometimes they didn't see each other in all day.

It was a weird situation, Hope thought one night in which Lightning was in an unplanned night shift and therefore he was alone at home. Knowing that his friend was near, solitude wasn't so harsh. But, even so, he felt a void those nights in which they didn't see each other at all.

In theory, it didn't have to be so. They were just friends who were sharing a roof for a while. But, then again, that was Lightning's point of view. It meant more for Hope, even if it was only temporary. He had assumed his friend status long ago, and besides he felt honored to have the young woman as his best friend. But that didn't mean his feelings for her weren't making him miss her when she wasn't at his side.

Hope shifted under the sheets, smiling bitterly to himself. He watched the empty side of the bed, where Lightning slept when she wasn't required by her duty to the Guardian Corps. Despite having the bed all to himself, the young man had taken the habit of staying in his place while Lightning wasn't there. It was logical: Hope tried so hard to not touch her while sleeping for not overrunning his friend's private space, and if he occupied the entire bed, he could end up doing the same in his sleep even if Lightning was there. And he was sure she wouldn't be very amused.

While trying to sleep, Hope wondered if getting used to Lightning's company was good or not. In a first insight, it was, so he'd cease to get nervous for everything he did with her around, but the young woman would eventually find a home in Academia and leave his apartment.

Being close to Lightning, even if it was in another part of the city, was the greatest joy he could conceive. But as Hope said to himself with a resigned sigh, it'd still mean that, once again, loneliness would return to his home.

Perhaps the best was not losing the habit of being alone…

* * *

Night shifts were among the top of Lightning's long black list.

Since her earliest years in the Guardian Corps, she loathed ruining her sleep schedule whenever she got an urgent call and being required for a night shift she hadn't planned. She always asked for the morning shifts: you can't do your work properly if you don't sleep enough and regularly. A soldier had to rest and have his mind clear to give everything at work.

But, of course, considering Academia's situation at the time, she couldn't afford to not attending an emergency whenever her superiors called her. Her reputation preceded her, and important tasks were obviously given to her. For Lightning it was clearer she'd rather stayed as a sergeant in the quiet town of Bodhum, without getting involved in the l'Cie, Etro's Champion and Liberator of Souls' stuff.

Lightning snorted at the thought of how strange it seemed to her to be there, in the Guardian Corps' quarters, helping the new refugees who had come to the city. In the short time she was living in Academia, it wasn't the first time she did so, but she still hadn't get used to human contact again.

_"It's been so long since the last time I was surrounded by so many people I feel separated from the rest of the world"_, she thought, frowning. She'd rather have her tongue cut than to admit it, but it wasn't just feeling separated. She felt vulnerable, confused. As if she forgot how to move in the world.

She hated that feeling. Since her mother died and Serah and her were left alone, Lightning had tried so hard to be strong in every way, sacrificing everything that made her vulnerable. She did so for Serah's safety.

But now Serah no longer needed her protection. She didn't just have Snow by her side, but Noel as well. And during her adventure through time, her sister had become strong enough to defend herself. Not to mention she returned from death itself.

The truth was, on social issues, Hope wasn't helpful at all. Of course, his company relieved that feeling of confusion towards the world that seemed so alien to her, but in the two weeks they'd spent together, Lightning learned through his comments that her friend tended to shy away from people and isolate himself in his own thoughts.

Lightning understood that. In Academia, Hope was quite a symbol, and people idolized him. Perhaps not in other places, but they did in the Academy's stronghold. And she, who met him when he was a kid and could claim to be the closest person to him, knew well how shy and quiet he was. Being so popular had to be such a burden to him.

She got around more unnoticed, at least among normal citizens. Unfortunately, among the Guardian Corps' soldiers it was not so: once everyone knew that Lightning Farron, the Liberator of Souls, was part of their ranks, she had to bear awkward meetings with fans in the corridors.

It was about three in the night and it seemed Captain Audren wasn't going to let her go home yet. Lightning shook her head in annoyance and shifted her legs, pinning her Blazefire Saber on the ground to rest on its hilt. She was tired and all she wanted by that time was getting home and sleep all that she could.

Besides, it wasn't the only reason. It was true she had barely eaten anything before receiving the message of her unexpected night shift, but a while ago she had felt a painful twinge in her lower belly that she hadn't felt since literal centuries ago. A kind of pain that had nothing to do with hunger, which she experimented in Nova Chrysalia.

_"Long time no see"_, she thought sarcastically. Fortunately, she had only felt the sting once. It seemed it wasn't going to get worse at the moment. She wouldn't have liked it at all if something like that surprised her in the middle of an urgent night shift.

Experiencing again things such as hunger, thirst, tiredness… Lightning hadn't been fully aware of the amount of time she spent in Valhalla while fighting Caius Ballad. Now she knew it had been five centuries until she entered crystal stasis, and thereafter, five hundred years more. All that time, life processes hadn't worked normally in her body. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if she was still human at all.

She frowned at the thought of all the time that had passed. To be honest, the very idea was breathtaking. She and her friends surpassed all the thousand years of life, without having aged a bit.

Well, all but Hope, of course. In his case, the years he spent tied to his time, unable to enter the Historia Crux, definitely toke their toll. It wasn't exactly like this, Lightning thought amusedly, because those years certainly hadn't gone bad for him. But it was a popular saying that years were a burden to bear.

_"Maybe not a physical burden_", the young woman mused, watching the night sky. _"But an emotional one. From all of us, I'd not hesitate to say Hope is the one who has suffered the most."_

Those years had tortured her mercilessly in that sense as well. But, at least, she had been in a non-existent-time period. Her comrades got away from such burden thanks to time travel and time gates. The one who really knew how cruel could years be was Hope.

Lightning winced. _"As if he hadn't suffered enough already"_, she thought.

Actually, all of them had suffered far more than they should.

She wondered what her friend would be doing. Probably sleep. He spent all day slaving at the Academy's headquarters, and Lightning had started to worry about the possibility of him falling sick from exhaustion. Specially when the young man hadn't what you'd call the paradigm of an immunological system.

During night shifts, Lightning particularly missed Hope's apartment. A long rest in a comfortable bed wasn't much to ask for after a whole day patrolling the enormous city of Academia and training new –and idiot, from her point of view– recruits. And having a roof under to live was quite a luxurious thing considering her recent experiences.

And then there was Hope, who tried as much as he could for the time Lightning shared his apartment with him being as pleasant as possible for her. Despite the amount of work they had, they almost only met each other at dinner and little more, but her friend was always helpful to her and tried to talk with her even when he was really tired to tell her about his progress at the Academy or to ask her about the news of the day.

Lightning missed someone to talk with. Of course, during her mission in Nova Chrysalia, she and Hope spent a long time talking, but it wasn't the same a teamwork against time for saving the world and coexistence, even if temporary.

She chuckled at the thought. She wasn't a very talkative person and yet she missed talking to someone. The absolute loneliness in Valhalla had affected her much more than she thought.

Memories of her past surfaced to her mind, of her time as a teenager, before becoming Lightning. She and Serah as high school students, talking until late hours at holiday nights. No worries, no dangers, no monsters nor l'Cie brands nor gods. Those were happy days.

Then her mother's death came, and with it, Lightning's birth. That changed everything.

_"For better, or for worse?"_, the young soldier asked herself, testing her own conscience.

In the past, the answer would've been "for worse": her transformation separated her from Serah, building a wall between the two sisters, and brought misfortune to everyone close to her. She couldn't protect, she only destroyed.

However, she knew that without her transformation, she wouldn't have met her friends, her new family: Hope, Snow, Sazh, Noel, Vanille and Fang, and she wouldn't have got back Serah. No matter if she shared the roof with Hope, if Serah, Snow and Noel lived far away, if Sazh and his son Dajh were travelling from here to there, and Vanille and Fang remained in crystal stasis, perhaps forever, but always looking out for their friends.

All had its good side and its bad side. Lightning had come to learn to be herself. Or that was her intention, at least.

She was lost in these thoughts when Captain Audren came to her. Lightning was so absorbed –and sleepy– that she didn't notice that big man approaching.

"Sergeant Farron", the Captain said. The young soldier winced and turned to him startled, until she found it was her superior, and hastened to do the required salute.

"Sorry, Captain Audren. I was – I got lost in my thoughts."

"Did I startle you? If it's the case, I'm the one who has to apologize", Audren laughed; the Academia Guardian Corps' Captain had proved to be a nice and caring man with his subordinates. He reminded Lightning of her former superior officer, Lieutenant Amodar. "Not just for the scare, but for this shift as well."

She merely raised her eyebrows briefly. She wouldn't be the one who blamed her captain for the importunity of that night shift.

"It was necessary to ensure the refugees' safety", Audren continued. "But it's been two extra shifts I've assigned you already this week. I'm afraid I'm getting my best soldier exhausted."

"It doesn't please me", Lightning decided to be sincere. "But duty comes first."

The Captain nodded.

"Well said. But moderately", he pointed wisely. Lightning liked his way of thinking; Hope told her Audren earned his high rank rightfully and in those two weeks she understood why. "An exhausted soldier is a fighter who cannot do his duty."

Lightning agreed with him. Moreover, she had been telling Hope almost the same words when she realized her friend would collapse from exhaustion if he kept working so hard and tirelessly.

"How're you doing in Academia, Sergeant?", Captain Audren asked after a pause. "Do you like living here?"

"Yes", she replied. "But it's so big. I've to get used to so many people and such a huge city yet. And there's a lot of work to do here."

"True, indeed. And speaking of it, how is the Director doing?", though Lightning used to avoid questions about her life in the city, the Captain knew she and Hope shared the same roof, but for now he hadn't seemed to draw wrong conclusions. "I had the pleasure of greeting him the other day at the headquarters, but he looked so busy and I barely stopped him for a minute."

Lightning chuckled.

"As you've said, Captain, he can't stay still. Someday he'll get sick for real. Perhaps you should lecture him about efficiency and rest, because he doesn't listen to me at all."

"If he doesn't listen to you, he won't do it to anyone", Audren laughed as well. "The Director was known for sleeping just two hours and work three days in a row without rest. The academics constantly insisted that was dreadful for his health, but it seems they succeeded the same as you."

If this was true, then Hope was really used to spend days without resting a bit. Now she understood better how he managed to keep constantly in contact with her in Nova Chrysalia despite having been thirteen whole days of exhaustive work.

"Looks like you know Hope – I mean, the Director – well, Captain", it was still hard for Lightning to refer to her friend as 'Director' or 'Director Estheim'. To her, he'd always been Hope.

"I'd not say I know him well", Audren said. "I met him the days before Cocoon's fall for discussing the details of the city's evacuation. Nobody could've known him well then, anyway, because he woke up just two weeks before that happened."

Lightning briefly raised her eyebrows. He prepared the launch of the New Cocoon and the evacuation of the whole city in just two weeks? She didn't know whether to be surprised or exasperated. Hope would need to sleep for a few years in order to recover all those lost hours of rest.

"Anyway", the Captain said. "Most of what you'd hear in the city about him is nothing but rumors and gossip. For all I know, even in 400 AF he was hermetic and discreet enough to avoid all dangerously stalker gossips. And trust me, there were so many then."

"That gossip stuff, does it apply to exalted women around his person?", Lightning asked cunningly. She was in Academia enough time to know about that detail.

Audren laughed loudly.

"Yes, I think so. But, as far as I know, none of 'em ever succeeded. The Director doesn't seem to be an easy prey."

Lightning let out a brief chuckle. The shy and withdrawn Hope, former l'Cie and a brilliant workaholic scientist, _an easy prey_?

_"It'd be easier hell froze over rather than Hope falling in love with someone"_, she amusedly thought, trying to stifle a tired yawn.

However, the Captain didn't miss that detail.

"It's late", he said, and patted the young woman's shoulder. "I think it's time for you to get home, Sergeant Farron."

She looked at him, surprised.

"But, Captain, didn't you tell me you required me until dawn?"

"There's not as much work as I thought, so we can fend off this by ourselves. You've a day off tomorrow, as you know, so make the best of it and rest all that you can."

Lightning took a little while to react, but when she did, she half-smiled and made the salute, grateful for his nod.

"Thanks, Captain."

One of the things she learned as a result of her journey as a l'Cie was to accept the others' help. Something that, in a sense, she owed to Hope.

She wasn't the only one who had been a mentor for someone…

* * *

When Lightning finally got to Hope's apartment, it was half-past-four in the morning. She got in as quietly as she could to not waking up her friend just in case he was sleeping, which proved to be right when she saw all the lights, except the dim neon tubes framing the entrance hallway, were off. She turned on the soft lights of the living room for not bumping into anything, for surely a crash would wake Hope up much faster than the lights.

Once she unfastened her gunblade's sheath and hung up in the back of a chair, Lightning went into the kitchen, her stomach making noises from hunger. It was late and she didn't want anything too elaborate: if she ate a lot before going to sleep, she wouldn't be able to sleep later.

She opened the fridge for milk and poured it into a bowl; she slipped a finger into the white liquid and concentrated a bit: a small flame came from her finger and the milk began to smoke slightly. Lightning smiled to herself as she pulled the drawer in search for the cookies. Although Hope usually cooked by using the stove, for minor warming stuff he rather use a fraction of the magic for the Fire spell, and he had taught Lightning the trick and, most importantly, to control her divine power for not melting the food. It had taken two cups and a glass and a cut in Hope's hand by the explosion of the latter before she learned how to do it.

Even though the season wasn't propitious, she also knew her friend used the Blizzard spell to cool the food and preserve it when he wasn't at home. Lightning knew Hope wanted to create a society in which magic and technology went hand in hand. Of course, he was the first one to set an example, using his magic – even without her divine powers, she was aware that Hope could be a really worthy opponent in a magic duel – in the daily chores.

_"Our past experiences have become part of our everyday lives"_, Lightning thought as she dipped a cookie in the milk. All former l'Cie, including Noel, were rebuilding their lives in a peaceful world. Devastated, true indeed, but at peace.

Once she ate the cookies and drank the milk, Lightning put the bowl in the sink and filled it with water, and after stretching like a cat, she went towards the bedroom. But, just when she was leaving the kitchen, she ran headlong into something that wasn't there before.

Dazed, she flinched in tension, cursing herself for leaving her gunblade hung on the chair before.

"… Light?", a sleepy voice murmured. Lightning eased at the moment: no need to look up to know only Hope addressed her that way.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I awake you?"

It was a rhetorical question because Hope's hair was even messier than usual, his shirt wrinkled and his eyes dull by sleep. In fact, he laid a hand on the wall, undoubtedly to keep his balance.

"Don't worry. I heard noises and saw the lights on, and I got up to see what was happening. You know, I wasn't expecting you to come until dawn…"

"Captain Audren let me come before the planned time", Lightning explained. "And since tomorrow I have the day off, I can rest all I want."

"You have a day off tomorrow?", Hope stifled a yawn without much success. "Lucky you. I wish I could say the same…"

"You should take at least on your own accord", the young woman smiled, patting him on the back to get him back to bed. "You're the Director, and if you fall sick, the Academy will pay the consequences."

"Mmph…", Hope growled, clearly too sleepy to reply, but it was obvious he didn't quite agree. It wasn't something that mattered to Lightning, since she put her hands on her hips and gave him a stern, but a bit sardonic as well, look.

"No complaints. Go to bed now or tomorrow you won't do your work well. Good kids sleep at least eight hours a day if they don't want to fall asleep at school."

"That's a low blow, Light."

"Not at all", she replied, though she knew Hope wasn't serious, while pushing him gently towards the bedroom for not making him collide with anything. "And, if you don't want to be treated like a kid, stop acting like one and rest what you have to."

Hope merely sighed, and upon entering the room, he fell on the bed; sure, not occupying the side Lightning had claimed for herself. She took the clothes she used for sleep and went to the bathroom to change as quickly as possible, since she was exhausted too and all she wanted was to sleep at least twelve hours in a row.

When she came out, she found that Hope fell asleep again, certainly almost in the very moment he fell on the bed because she couldn't have spent more than two minutes to change clothes. She smiled to herself while leaving her Guardian Corps' uniform on the dresser and got into bed. Her friend had fallen asleep so fast that he hadn't even covered himself, and it wasn't the best idea in fall. Lightning shook her head and, trying not to wake him up, covered his thin body with the blanket before covering herself and turn the lamp on the bedside table off.

Lightning closed her eyes, burying her face in the pillow. The beginning of her life in Academia had been certainly exhausting, but it was an effort that surely would pay off sooner or later.

She feared to feel even more lost than she already was. She missed Serah, protecting her and taking care of her little sister. But judging by those first two weeks with Hope, she would have someone to be in charge of, albeit differently, of course.

While it was true that he also was taking charge of her, doing as much as he could to protect her and taking care of his friend. Both were trying to stay safe, maybe not from the monsters outside, but inside their hearts.

_"But, if we stay strong and we support each other, we'll deal with the monsters that haunt us in our slumber, no matter how hard the battle turns out to be."_

* * *

**A/N:** _DAMMIT THIS CHAPTER! It's been giving me all the headaches for figuring out how the plot! So then I decided, I'd sit before my computer and start writing, and whatever comes out of my mind. So this came out. I'm actually pleased with how it turned out, but I'm so, SO sorry for the lateness! It's been three months already since the last chapter!_

_So, anyway, I went with 'slumber' as arc word. You'll notice, basically the plot plays with the tiredness of both Hope and Lightning. I can't say I planned it, but I like this because, you know, it portraits in a sense the feeling of defeat, of being in a world you don't feel as yours: Hope by wondering what he'd do once Lightning leaves, and Light by the obvious post-divine-mission stuff. And yeah, the final sentence, as usual, gives the actual conclusion: if they support each other, they'll find their place in this world once more._

_You've probably noticed that the even-numbered chapters are focused on Lightning and the odd-numbered ones are on Hope. That wasn't planned when I first started to write this but I liked the idea and went for it. So, as you can see, this chapter focuses quite a lot on her. It's something I enjoy to do because all of you who read my other Hope/Lightning stories - coughbasicallyallthatIhavewrittenherecough - know that I usually focus on Hope and write from his point of view. Lightning is a lot more hermetic so it's harder to write from hers. But it gives me a nice chance to try to unravel her thoughts._

_Basically I can say that, while Hope's feelings are clear as water - not just here, in _**Final Fantasy XIII-2**_ as well if you pay attention to all the hints -, with Lightning it is not so. So, when I write from her point of view, I try to show that, while Hope has a special place in her heart, she doesn't focus on him to the point you say, "she _is_ in love with him". No, I keep saying, Light would need time to realize this and, then, admit it. She's fiercely independent and probably she would try to deny it even to herself. It'd be interesting if this happened in _**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_: Lightning meeting Hope at the start of the game, she realizes how much he's grown but she's still grieving her sister and all the crap she had to endure through _**XIII-2**_, but throughout the story and being communicated to Hope full-time - and maybe meeting him for some stuff - she realizes this, and, well... Yeah, who knows. xD_

_So! Hope you like it! Fortunately I have the plot for the seventh chapter all planned, so you won't have to wait as long as you did for this! =D_


End file.
